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THE 
/  » 

TROTTING  HOESE  OF  AIEEICI: 

HOW  TO  TRAIN  AND  DRIVE  HIM. 

WITH 

REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  TROTTING  TURF. 


BY 

HIRAM   WOODRUFF. 


EDITED    BY    CHARLES    J.    FOSTER 
OF  "WILKES'  SPIRIT  OF  THE  TIMES." 


INCLUDING  AN  INTRODUCTORY  NOTICE  BY  GEORGE  WILKES,  AND 
A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH   BY  THE  EDITOR. 


NEW    YORK: 
.     J.   B.   FORD    AND    COMPANY. 

BOSTON:    H.  A.  BROWN  &  CO. 
18G9. 


F  339 
W  G? 


<f* 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1868,  by 
J.  B.  FORD  AND  COMPANY, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


GEO  C.  RAND  &  AVERY,  STEREOTYPERS  AND  PRINTERS,  BOSTON. 


IN 

CONFORMITY  WITH  THE  INTENTION   AND   DIRECTION 

OF 

THE    AUTHOR, 

AND 

MUCH  TO  THE  GRATIFICATION   OF  THE  EDITOR, 

THIS     WORK 
IS,  BY   PERMISSION,   RESPECTFULLY    INSCRIBED  TO 

ROBERT    BONNER,    ESQ. 

BY  WHOM    ITS   COMPOSITION    WAS 
FIRST   SUGGESTED. 


EDITOB'S  PEEFACE. 


THE  composition  of  this  work  was  first  suggested 
by  Mr.  ROBERT  BONNER,  who  fully  appreciated 
the  original  views  and  vast  experience  of  HIRAM 
WOODRUFF  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  art  of 
training  and  driving  the  trotting-horse.  At  the 
earnest  solicitation  of  Mr.  GEORGE  WILKES  (the  editor 
of  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Times  "),  and  of  some  other  of  his 
friends,  HIRAM  agreed  to  undertake  it.  They  believed, 
and  their  arguments  induced  him  to  believe,  that  such 
a  work  from  him  would  be  a  public  benefit  to  the 
owners  of  horses,  and  a  service  to  the  horse  himself. 
From  the  nature  of  the  avocations  to  which  he  had 
devoted  himself  with  unparalleled  success  for  forty 
years,  HIRAM  WOODRUFF  was  not  a  ready  penman ;  and 
therefore  it  was  not  until  the  writer  of  this  introduc- 
tory preface  had  promised  to  act  as  his  amanuensis, 
and  to  edit  the  work,  that  he  consented  to  go  on  with 
it.  Its  reception,  when  some  chapters  had  been  pub- 
lished, was  such  as  to  establish  its  value;  and  all  those 
who  had  been  long  acquainted  with  the  author  clearly 


VI  EDITOR'S  PREFACE. 

recognized  his  strong,  original  turn  of  thought,  and 
painstaking  anxiety  to  make  it  eminently  practical  and 
useful.  During  its  composition,  there  were  some  de- 
lays caused  by  the  great  application  necessary  on  the 
part  of  the  author  to  his  business  as  trainer  and 
driver  of  horses.  He  had  sometimes  as  many  as 
twenty  in  his  charge  ;  and  he  felt  that  at  such  periods 
he  could  not,  with  justice  to  the  work  itself  and  to 
them,  continue  its  composition. 

To  suggestions  that  the  public  was  eager  for  the 
book,  and  wanted  it  completed  early,  he  commonly 
replied  that  he  wanted  it  completed  ivell.  There  was, 
he  said,  no  more  reason  for  hurrying  out  this,  his  only 
work,  than  there  would  be  in  his  hurrying  on  the  edu- 
cation of  a  horse  that  he  deemed  certain  to  make  a 
trotter.  He  was  no  believer  in  the  "  forcing  "  pro- 
cess, and  always  contended  that  the  book  would  be 
all  the  better  for  the  extra  time  he  had  resolved  to 
devote  to  it.  Nothing  could  exceed  his  anxiety  to 
avoid  any  thing  that  by  misapplication  might  be  mis- 
chievous. He  was  eminently  a  man  of  clear,  strong 
views,  and  of  few,  terse  words.  Many  of  the  most 
valuable  and  well-tried  conclusions  of  his  genius  and 
experience  will  be  found  set  down  in  his  literal 
words  in  a  very  few  lines.  I  have  never  met  with  a 
man  who  was  so  quick  and  direct  in  coming  at  the 
kernel  of  a  question,  and  who  threw  away  the  husk 
and  shell  so  promptly  as  utterly  worthless. 

Just  before  his  last  illness,  the  materials  for  the  com- 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE.  vii 

pletion  of  the  book  were  all  arranged,  and  I  received 
his  directions  to  that  end.  During  the  progress  of  the 
work,  I  had  some  hundreds  of  interviews  with  him, 
during  which  he  dictated  the  matter  now  presented 
to  the  reader  in  this  volume.  It  was  his  custom  to 
read  carefully  every  chapter  as  it  appeared  in  "  The 
Spirit  of  the  Times,"  and  he  gave  a  few  directions  for 
emendations.  These  have  been  strictly  followed.  His 
memory  was  marvellous,  not  only  of  events,  but  of 
the  little  details  connected  with  them;  and  he  had  such 
a  graphic  way  of  describing  matters  and  things,  that 
his  hearers  and  his  readers  were  carried  to  the  scene 
and  time,  and  virtually  made  spectators  of  the  things 
themselves.  He  was  utterly  intolerant  of  quackery  in 
any  shape  ;  and  his  readers  may  rely  upon  it  that  the 
only  way  to  develop  the  gifts  and  capabilities  of  the 
trotting-horse  is  to  employ  those  elements  which 
HIRAM  WOODRUFF  brought  to  the  composition  of  this 
work,  —  judgment,  conscientious  painstaking  to  be 
right,  and  much  perseverance. 


CONTENTS. 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE ,.T 

HIRAM  "WOODRUFF •       •       •        rvii 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR xxiii 

I. 

Reason  for  writing  the  Book.— Necessity  for  Practical  Experience  in  Train- 
ing. —  The  Author's  Experience. — Improvement  in  Tracks  and  Vehicles. 

—  Causes  of  Improvement  in  Time.  —  Originality  of  the  American  Sys- 
tem.—  Its  great  Superiority  to  the  English  System.  —  Rules  as  to  Break- 
ing from  the  Trot 37 

II. 

Handling  of  the  Colt.  —  The  Trot  a  Natural  Gait.  — Great  Speed  the  Result 
of  Long  Handling.  —  Method  for  the  Colt. — Moderation  best  in  Feeding. 

—  Early  Maturity  followed  by  Early  Decay.  —  The  Trotter  should  last 
Many  Years.— Feeding  of  Weanlings.  — No  Physic  unless  the  Colt  is 
Sick.— Feeding  of  the  Yearling.  — The  Starving  System  worse  than 
High  Feeding .    44 

III. 

Feeding  of  the  Two-Year-Old.  —  Mouthing  and  Bitting.  —  Lounging. — Tem- 
per.— Leading  on  th«  Road.  —  Much  Walking  to  be  avoided. — When 
harnessed,  a  Wagon  better  than  a  Sulky.  —Amount  of  Work  to  depend 
on  Constitution  and  Condition.  —  Remedy  for  Broken  Gait.  — Pulling  to 
be  avoided.— Increase  of  Feed .  51 

IV. 

Effects  of  Early  Development.— Colts  often  overworked. — Fast  Three- Year- 
Olds  and  Four-Year-Olds.  — Risk  of  hurting  Stamina.— Earlier  Maturity 
of  Running-Horses.  — Evils  of  overtraining  Colts 59 

V. 

Actual  Training  of  the  Three-Year-Old.  — No  Physic  and  no  Sweat  at  first. 
-*  Danger  of  "  Overmarking."  •-  Strong  Feed  of  Oats  and  Hay.  —  Bran- 


CONTENTS. 


Mashes.—  Rubbing  the  Legs.  —  Full  Supply  of  Water.—  Management 
before  and  in  the  Race.  —  Strains  likely  to  stand  Early  Training.—  The 
Abdallahs.  .  ............  67 

VI. 

Characteristics  of  the  Stars.—  Of  the  Bashaws.  —  The  Clays.  —  The  Trus- 
tees.— Natural  Trotters  in  England.  —  Of  Trotters  that  paced.  —  To 
make  Pacers  trot.  ............  75 

VII. 

Horses  that  pace  and  trot  too.  —  Not  to  be  trusted  on  the  Course.  —  Trotters 
that  amble  off  in  a  Pace  when  first  out  of  the  Stable.  —  Speed,  and  its 
Relation  to  Stoutness.  —  The  Gray  Mare  Peerless.  —  Styles  of  Going.  — 
Gait  of  Flora  Temple  and  Ethan  Allen.  —  Bush  Messenger's  Get.  —  Ver- 
mont Hambletonian's  Get.  —  Influence  of  Messenger.  —  Hobbling  in 
Jogging.  .  ...........  &. 

VIII. 

Treatment  the  Winter  before  Training.  —  Frozen  and  Slippery  Roads  Bad. 

—  Fattening  up,  an  Evil.  —  The  Feed  in  Winter.  —  Treatment  in  com- 
plete Let-up.  —  Clothing.  —  The  Feet.  —  "Freezing  out,"  Mischievous.  — 
Horses  that  need  Blistering.—  Food  and  Treatment.  —  Stabling  all  Win- 
ter. —  Treatment  and  Exercise.  —  Constitution  to  be  kept  in  View.  — 
Shedding-Time.  —  Walking  Exercise.  —  Jogging.  —  No  Fast  Work  at 
First.  —  No  Physic  commonly  required  ........    90 

IX. 

Feed  while  Jogging.  —  Brushing  in  the  Work.  —  Length  of  the  Brush.  — 
Advance  of  Condition  to  be  noted.  —  The  Feed.  —  The  First  Trial.  —  Of 
the  Sweats.  —  Feed  and  Clothing  afterwards.  —  Tight  Bandaging'bad.  .  99 

X. 

Work  after  the  Sweat.  —  Trial  after  the  Sweat.  —  Preparation  for  the  Trial. 
—Amount  of  Work.—  No  Arbitrary  Rule  possible.  —  The  Mile-Trial.  — 
Of  Condition,  Game,  and  Bottom.—  Work  after  the  First  Race.—  Prep- 
aration for  Three-mile  Heats.  —  Much  Slow  Work  reduces  Speed.  — 
Time  of  Three-mile  Preparation.—  Of  the  Trials.  —  Work  after  the 
Final  Trial  ..............  106 

XI. 

Stout  Horses  stand  a  strong  Preparation.  —  State  of  the  Legs  to  be  watched. 

—  Idlewild  and  Lady  Palmer.—  No  Device  a  Substitute  for  Work.  — 
Ten-mile  Preparation.—  A  Steady  Rating  Capacity  wanted.—  The  Prep- 
aration to  be  Long.—  The  Feed  to  be  Strong.—  Effects  of  the  Work  to 
be  watched.  —  The  Trials.—  Management  of  the  Race.  —  The  Races  of 
Kentucky  Prince  and  Hero  the  Pacer.  .  •    .......  113 


CONTENTS.  xi 

XII. 

Early  Reminiscences. — My  First  Race.  —  My  Second.  —  Lady  Kate  against 
Time.  — Paul  Pry  against  Time.  — The  Riders  of  Thirty  Years  ago. — 
Requisites  of  a  Good  Rider.  —  Drilling  Horses.  —  Lady  Sefton.  .  .  121 

XIII. 

Messenger's  Son,  Topgallant.  —  His  Wonderful  Endurance.  —  My  Uncle, 
George  Woodruff.  —  Topgallant's  Race  when  Twenty-two  Years  Old. — 
His  Race  when  Twenty-four  Years  Old.  — Three-mile  Heats.  — His  Race 
of  Three-mile  Heats  the  next  Week .  .  .  .128 

XIV. 

The  Indian  Horse  Lylee.  — Runjeet  Singh's  Passion  for  Horses  —  The  Bat- 
tles fought  for  Lylee.  —  Description  of  him.  —  Lady  Blanche. — Awful. — 
His  Race  with  Screwdriver.  —  Blanche,  Snowdrop,  and  Beppo.  —  Death 
of  Blanche.— Ajax  and  Oneida  Chief.  — Their  Road-Race  to  Sleighs.— 
Brown  Rattler 135 

XV. 

The  Trotter  Dutchman. —Description  of  him.  —Pedigree  doubtful. — Dutch- 
man and  Locomotive.— Dutchman  and  Yankee  Doodle.  — Dutchman, 
Fanny  Pullen,  and  Confidence.— Dutchman  and  Lady  Slipper.— Dutch- 
man, Lady  Warrenton,  Teamboat,  and  Norman  Leslie.  —  Dutchman  and 
Greenwich  Maid. — Dutchman  and  Washington. — Dutchman,  Lady  Suf- 
folk, and  Rattler.  —Description  of  Lady  Suffolk  and  Rattler.  .  .  142 

XVI. 

Dutchman  and  Lady  Suffolk.  — Dutchman,  Lady  Suffolk,  Mount  Holly,  and 
Harry  Bluff. — Dutchman  and  Awful.  —  Dutchman  against  Time,  Three 
Miles.  — The  Race  and  Incidents 149 

XVII. 

Dutchman  and  Washington.— Dutchman,  Washington,  and  the  Ice  Pony.— 
Washington's  best  Mark. — Dutchman  and  Rifle.  —  Dutchman,  Ameri- 
cus,  and  Lady  Suffolk.  —  A  Great  Race  in  a  Great  Storm. — Dutchman, 
Oneida  Chief,  and  Lady  Suffolk.  —  Dutchman's  Last  Race.  —  His  Death.  156 

XVIII. 

Other  Performances  of  Dutchman.  —  Appli cation  of  Facts  to  Principles. — 
Dutchman's  Steady  Improvement.  —  Endurance  of  Trotters  and  Run- 
ning-Horses compared 163 

XIX. 

The  Story  of  Ripton.  — Description  of  him.  — Ripton  and  Mount  Holly. — 
Ripton  and  Kate  Kearney.  — Peter  Whelan  and  George  Youngs.  —  Rip- 
ton  and  Don  Juan.  —  Necessity  of  Work  and  Practice.  —  Ripton,  Dutch- 
man, Confidence,  and  Spangle.  —  Ripton,  Duchess,  and  Quaker. — Ripton 
and  Revenge.  —  Ripton  and  Lady  Suffolk.  —  A  Fast,  Close  Race.  .  .  171 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

XX. 

Eipton,  Brandywine,  and  Don  Juan.  —  Ripton  and  Quaker.  —  Ripton  and 
Spangle.  —  Ripton,  Lady  Suffolk,  and  Washington.  — Ripton  and  Confi- 
dence. —  Ripton  and  Americus.  —  Ripton's  Performances  in  1842  recapit- 
ulated. —  Conclusion  enforced.  — Time  wanted  for  Maturity .  — Ripton 
required  much  Work 178 

XXI. 

Ripton's  Three  Matches  with  Americus.— Ripton  in  Mud.— Ripton  in  Snow. 

—  Sleighing  on  the  Harlem  Road.  — Ripton  and  Confidence.  — Owner's 
Instructions.— An  Old  Horse  to  be  kept  Warm  between  Heats.— Match 
with  Bay  Boston 185 

XXII. 

Ripton  and  Lady  Button.  —  Lady  Button  and  Lady  Moscow.  —  Death  of 
Lady  Moscow. — Her  Burial-place.  — Her  Produce.— Horses  she  trotted 
against.  — Ripton  and  Lady  Suffolk.  — Ripton,  Sorrel  Ned,  and  Snake. 

—  Ripton  and  Jersey.— Ripton's  Last  Race 192 

XXIII. 

Ability  to  pull  Weight  considered.— Form  best  calculated  for  it.— Mere 
Bulk  useless.  —  Long  Striders  seldom  Weight-pullers.  —  Kemble  Jack- 
son.—  Description  of  him.  —  Kemble  Jackson  and  Washington.  —  Kem- 
ble Jackson  and  the  Nelson  Colt. — Kemble  Jackson  and  Black  Harry. — 
Kemble  Jackson,  O'Blenis,  Lady  Brooks,  and  Pelham.  — Kemble  Jack- 
son, Mountain  Maid,  and  Flash.— The  Kemble  Jackson  Check.  — Kem- 
ble Jackson,  O'Blenis,  Pet,  lola,  Boston  Girl,  and  Honest  John.  .  .  199 

XXIV. 

O'Blenis  against  the  Field. — Immense  Attendance  at  the  Race. — Expecta- 
tions that  Kemble  would  break.— His  Great  Victory.— His  Early  Death. 

—  Weight-pulling  Mares.  — Lady  Palmer.  —  Peerless.  —  California  Dam- 
sel.—English  Theory  about  Trotting- Weight.     .       .       .       .       .       .205 

XXV. 

The  Gray  Mare  Lady  Suffolk.— Her  Pedigree.  — Place  of  Breeding.  —  Sale 
to  David  Bryan. — Description  of  Lady  Suffolk. — Her  Performances. — 
More  than  Fifteen  Years  on  the  Course.  —  Trotted  138  Races  and  won  88 
Times.  — Suffolk  and  Sam  Patch.  —  Suffolk  and  Black  Hawk.  — Suffolk 
and  the  Virginia  Mare.  — Suffolk  and  Rattler.  — Suffolk,  Dutchman,  and 
Rattler.  — Suffolk  and  Awful.  — Suffolk,  Napoleon,  Cato,  and  Ion.— 
Suffolk,  Dutchman,  and  Rattler  again.  —  Suffolk  and  Dutchman.  .  .  211 

XXVI. 

Regarding  Early  Maturity.  —  Lady  Suffolk  and  Apollo.  —  Lady  Suffolk  and 
Dutchman.  —  Suffolk  and  Cato.  — Suffolk,  Lady  Victory,  and  Lafayette. 

—  Suffolk,  Henry,  Celeste,  and  Cato.  —  Suffolk  and  Don  Juan.— Suffolk 


CONTENTS.  xill 

and  Ellen  Jewett.  —  Suffolk  and  Independence.  —  Suffolk  and  Dutchman . 

—  Suffolk,  Celeste,  and  Napoleon.  —  Suffolk  against  Time.  —  Suffolk 
against  Bonaparte.  —  Suffolk  and  Aaron  Burr. 213 

XXVII. 

Suffolk,  Confidence,  and  "Washington.  —  Suffolk,  Confidence,  and  Aaron 
Burr.  —  Suffolk,  Awful,  and  Aaron  Burr.  —  Suffolk  and  Ripton.  —  Suf- 
folk and  Oneida  Chief  the  Pacer.  —  Suffolk  and  Americus,  Five-mile 
Heats.  — Suffolk,  Ripton,  and  Confidence.  — Suffolk  and  Rifle,  vs.  Hard- 
ware and  Apology.  —  Long  Tails  and  Docking.  —  Suffolk  and  Ripton.  — 
Suffolk,  Beppo,  and  Independence.  — Suffolk,  Beppo,  and  Oneida  Chief. 

—  Suffolk,  Americus,  Ripton,  Washington,  and  Pizarro.  — Suffolk,  J.  C. 
Calhoun,  and  Fairy  Queen 225 

xxvm. 

Suffolk,  Brown  Columbus,  and  Americus.— More  Races  with  Americus.— 
Suffolk  and  Duchess.  — Suffolk  and  Moscow.  — Suffolk,  Moscow,  and 
Americus.  — Suffolk  and  James  K.  Polk  the  Pacer.  —  Suffolk  and  Hec- 
tor.—Suffolk  at  Saratoga.  — Suffolk  and  Roanoke  the  Pacer.  —  Suffolk 
and  Lady  Sutton.  — Suffolk  and  Ripton,  "between  Christmas  Day  and 
New  Year's.  —  Suffolk,  Lady  Sutton,  and  Lady  Moscow. — Moscow's 
son,  Privateer.  —  Suffolk,  Sutton,  and  Americus.  —  Suffolk  and  James 
K.  Polk.  — Suffolk  lamed  at  Saratoga 233 

XXIX. 

Suffolk  and  Lady  Moscow.  —  Suffolk,  Mac,  Gray  Eagle,  and  Gray  Trouble.  — 
Suffolk  and  Pelham.  — Suffolk,  Pelham,  and  Jack  Rossiter.— Lady  Suf- 
folk, Lady  Sutton,  and  Pelham.  — Suffolk,  Trustee,  and  Pelham.  — Breed- 
ing of  Trustee.  —  Description  of  Trustee.  —  Suffolk  and  Long-Island 
Black  Hawk. — Description  of  Black  Hawk.— Death  of  Trustee.  .  .  240 

XXX. 

Lady  Suffolk  in  1850, 1851, 1852, 1853.— Her  Retirement  and  Death.  — The 
Story  of  Flora  Temple.  —  Opening  Chapter  of  her  History,  by  George 
Wilkes 247 

XXXI. 

Capacity  of  Small  Horses  to  pull  Weight.  — Flora  Temple  and  Centreville. — 
Flora  and  Black  Douglas.— Flora  and  Young  Dutchman.  — Flora  and 
Lady  Brooks.  •— Flora  and  Highland  Maid.  —  Breeding  of  Highland 
Maid.— Description  of  her.— Her  Races  with  Flora 258 

XXXII. 

Flora  Temple  and  Tacony .  —  Description  of  Tacony .  —  Flora,  Green-Moun- 
tain Maid,  and  Lady  Vernon.  —  Description  of  Green-Mountain  Maid.  — 
Flora  and  Rhode  Island.— Flora  goes  to  New  Orleans,  comes  back,  and 
is  purchased  by  Mr.  Pettee.  —Flora  and  Mac.  —  Flora  and  Jack  Waters. 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

— Flora  and  Sontag.— Flora's  Match  Twenty  Miles  to  "Wagon.  — Flora 
and  Know-Nothing. — Description  of  Know-Nothing,  afterwards  Lancet. 
—Flora  and  Lady  Franklin.— Flora  and  Chicago  Jack.— Flora,  Frank 
Forrester,  Chicago  Jack,  and  Miller's  Damsel 269 

XXXIII. 

The  Time-Test.  — Saddle-Horses.— Eiders  of  Trotters.  — Mace,  Murphy, 
and  Doble.— Flora  and  Lancet.  — Trusting  to  Trials.— Flora  and  Ta- 
cony.—  Flora  distances  him  in  2m.  24|s.  —  The  True  Explanation  of 
that  Heat.— Caution  to  Young  Drivers 274 

XXXIV. 

Flora  and  Lancet.  —  The  Morgan  Horses. — Ethan  Allen. — His  Breeding. — 
His  Produce.— Flora  and  Ethan  Allen.— Flora's  Winter-Quarters.— 
Flora  and  Rose  of  "Washington.— Want  of  Condition  sure  to  beat  any 
thing. — Value  of  a  Race  in  Public  to  produce  Condition.  .  .  .  281 

XXXY. 

Introduction  of  Hippodroming.  —Flora,  Lancet,  Miller's  Damsel,  and  Red- 
bird. — Flora  and  Brown  Dick. — Flora  purchased- by  Mr.  McDonald. — 
Hippodroming  again. — Flora  and  Prince. — Flora  and  Ike  Cook. — Flora 
and  Reindeer. — The  coming  Horses,  Princess  and  George  M.  Patchen.  .  288 

XXXVI. 

Flora  Temple  and  Ethan  Allen. — Flora  and  Princess.  — Description  of  Prin- 
cess.— Her  Driver,  James  Eoff.— His  Artful  Strategy  and  Inveterate 
Humbug. — Princess  beats  Flora  Two-mile  Heats.  —  Flora  wins,  Mile- 
Heats,  Three  in  Five.  —  The  Best  Previous  Time  beaten  in  all  the  Heats.  295 

XXXVII. 

Flora  Temple  and  Princess  again.  — Flora  wins  Two-Mile  Heats.  — They  go 
Hippodroming.  — Flora  trots  in  2m.  21|s.,  with  Ike  Cook,  at  Cincinnati. 
— Her  Performance  at  Kalamazoo.  — 2m.  193s 303 

XXXVIII. 

Flora  Temple  and  George  M.  Patchen.  —  Description  of  Patchen.  —  His 
Pedigree.  — Patchen's  Early  Performances.  — Dan  Mace  as  a  Driver  and 
Rider.  — Flora  and  Ethan  Allen.— Flora  and  Patchen  again.  — The  best 
Race  ever  made  by  Flora,  and  the  best  a  Stallion  ever  made.  .  .  .  303 

XXXIX. 

Flora  Temple  and  Patchen,  Two-mile  Heats.  — Flora  and  Patchen  at  Phila- 
delphia.—Outside  Interference 316 

XL. 

Flora  Temple  and  Patchen  again.— A  dishonored  Check.— Appeal  to  aid 
Decision  of  the  Judges. — Flora  and  Brown  Dick. — Flora  and  Ethan 
Allen.— Flora  and  Patchen  again. —Flora  against  Dutchman's  Tune.  .  S22 


CONTENTS.  XT 

XLI. 

Flora  Temple  and  George  M.  Patchen  on  a  Tour. — Flora  and  "Widow  Ma- 
chree.—  Description  of  "Widow  Machree. — Flora  and  Princess  again. — 
Flora  and  John  Morgan.  —  Breeding  of  John  Morgan. — Description  of 
him 329 

XLIL 

Flora  Temple  and  John  Morgan.  — The  Fastest  Two-mile  Race  that  had 
been  trotted.  — Remarks  upon  the  Race.— The  Three-mile-heat  Race. 
—Flora  against  Ethan  Allen  and  a  Running-Mate.— Flora  before  G-en. 
Grant.  — The  Widow  Machree 33£ 

XLIII. 

The  King  of  the  Trotters,  Dexter.— Description  and  breeding  of  him.— His 
Purchase  by  Mr.  George  Alley.— His  History  prior  to  his  coming  to  me. 
—His  First  and  Second  Trials.— Dexter's  First  Race.— He  beats  Stone- 
wall Jackson,  Lady  Collins,  and  Gen.  Grant.  — Dexter  and  Doty'sMare. 
—  Dexter,  Shark,  and  Lady  Shannon. — Dexter,  Shark,  and  Hamble- 
tonian.  —  Dexter  hits  himself,  and  is  drawn. — Evil  of  much  Scoring. — 
Dexter's  Trial  in  November,  2m.  23}s. 341 

XLIV. 

Dexter's  Three-mile  Heats  Match  with  Stonewall  Jackson  of  Hartford. — 
Description  of  Stonewall. — Dexter  and  Gen.  Butler.  —  Dexter  and  Lady 
Thorn.— Description  of  Lady  Thorn.— The  Three-Mile-Heat  Race  under 
Saddle. — Dexter  and  Gen.  Butler  under  Saddle.  —  Dexter,  Butler,  and 
George  Wilkcs.  — Dexter  against  Time,  to  beat  2m.  19s.  .  .  .355 

XLV. 

Dexter  and  Butler  to  "Wagons,  Mile  Heats.— Two-Mile  Heats  to  "Wagons.— 
The  Best  ever  made.  — Remarks  upon  the  Race.— Dexter  at  Astoria.— 
Eoff  and  George  M.  Patchen,  Jun.— Dexter  offered  for  Sale.  — Dexter 
and  George  M.  Patchen,  Jun.  —  Eoff's  Strategy 362 

XL  VI. 

Dexter  sold  to  George  Trussel.  — Dexter,  Gen.  Butler,  and  Commodore 
Vanderbilt.  — Dexter  goes  to  Budd  Doble.  — Dexter  and  George  M. 
Patchen  at  Philadelphia 371 

XLVII. 

Dexter,  Gen.  Butler,  and  Toronto  Chief  under  Saddle.  — Dexter  and  George 
M.  Patch^i,  Jun.,  at  Avon  Springs.— The  Track  Short.  —  Short  Track  no 
Record.  —Dexter,  Patchen,  Jun.,  and  Rolla  Golddust  at  Buffalo.— Dex- 
ter and  Butler  under  Saddles.  —  Dexter  trots  in  2m.  18s.  —  Dexter, 
Patchen,  Jun.,  and  Butler,  at  Cleveland.  — Dexter  and  Patchen,  Jun.,  at 
Detroit.— Dexter  and  Patchen,  Jun.,  at  Chicago.— Dexter  and  Butler 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

under  Saddle.— Dexter  and  Patchen  at  Milwaukee.  — Same  at  Alrian, 
Toledo,  Kalamazoo,  and  Wheeling. — Dexter  and  Magoogler  the  Pacer 
at  Pittsburg 379 

XLVIII. 

tester,  Polly  Ann  the  Pacer,  and  Patchen,  Jun.,  at  Philadelphia. — D;«ster, 
Silas  Rich,  and  Patchen,  Jun.,  at  Baltimore. — Dexter  under  Saddle 
against  Tune.— Dexter  and  Silas  Rich  at  "Washington.— Dexter's  Per- 
formances that  Year  considered.  —  Integrity  and  Capacity  of  Budd 
Doblc.  — No  Reason  to  believe  that  Dexter  then  reached  his  best.— His 
Fine  Points.— Dexter  compared  to  Peerless.— The  Auburn  Horse.— 
Grand  Combination  of  Qualities  in  Dexter 385 

XLIX. 

On  Driving.  —  Difficulty  of  laying  down  Rules. — Importance  of  a  Sensitive 
Mouth. —The  Bit  proper  for  a  Colt.  —  Much  Use  of  "  bitting"  Apparatus 
mischievous.  —  The  Bits  in  cold  Weather  to  be  warmed  before  Use. — A 
light,  fine  Hand  required.  —  Pulling  to  be  avoided. —  Gentleness  and 
Firmness.  —  The  Horse  to  be  harnessed  so  as  to  be  at  ease.  —  Dead  Pull 
an  Evil.— Proper  Position  of  the  Driver.  — The  Shift  of  the  Bit.— How 
to  hold  the  Reins.  — Severe  Bits  bad.  .  .  .391 


Of  Breaking  in  Trotting.— A  Gaming  Break.  —  Snatching  to  be  avoided.— 
How  to  catch  the  Horse  to  his  Trot.. — Nature  of  the  catching-pull. — 
The  Horse  to  to  be  steadied  when  he  has  caught. — A  Break  sometimes 
Desirable.— How  to  bring  it  about.  — Confidence  of  the  Horse  in  his 
Driver.  — Sagacity  of  Horses.  — To  prevent  a  Break.  —  Signs  of  one 
coming. 398 

APPENDIX.  405 


HIRAM    WOODRUFF. 


IT  has  been  remarked  by  philosophers,  that  the  progress  of  the 
human  race  is  to  be  traced  more  distinctly  in  the  individual  his- 
tory of  its  great  men,  than  by  any  other  process  known  to  the  human 
observation.  It  has  even  been  held  by  some  writers,  and  among 
them  by  Napoleon  the  Third,  that  the  most  familiar  method  by 
which  Providence  confers  his  greatest  benefits  upon  mankind  is  in 
the  raising  up  of  favored  men  at  certain  periods,  who,  being  imbued 
with  the  new  principles  which  are  to  advance  the  fortunes  of  their 
era,  are  enabled  "  to  stamp  the  age  with  the  seal  of  their  genius, 
and  to  accomplish  in  a  few  years  the  labor  of  many  centuries." 
If  this  agreeable  theory  is  correct,  the  humble  trainer  and  driver 
who  departed  this  life  at  Jamaica  Plains,  Long  Island,  on  the 
morning  of  the  15th  of  March,  1867,  may  fairly  rank  among 
the  great  men  of  his  period,  and  be  frankly  awarded  a"  full  share 
of  the  honors  which  are  due  to  those  who  have  been  benefactors 
to  their  country.  We  measure  genius,  not  merely  by  a  man's  social 
status,  but  by  "  the  empire  of  his  ideas,"  the  results  which  they 
enforce,  and  the  benefits  which  inure  through  them  to  the  world. 
To  bring  this  principle  to  its  test  for  the  purposes  of  our  theme,  we 
find  that  there  are  but  two  nations  of  the  earth  which  possess  a  race 
of  animals  known  as  the  trotting-horse.  One  of  these  nations  is 
Kussia ;  the  other,  the  United  States.  In  the  first-named  country, 
we  find  an  animal  proceeding  from  the  Arabian  fountain,  fused,  it 
is  said,  upon  the  Flanders  stock,  which  is  called  the  Orloff  trotter; 
but  this  breed,  though  bending  the  knee  when  striding,  and  though 
having  in  other  respects  the  trotting  action,  is  considered  by  good 
judges  as  being  only  half-developed.  In  this  country,  on  the  other 
hand,  we  have  "  a  paragon  of  animals,"  which  is  already  the  wonder 
2  xrJL 


XViii  HIRAM  WOODRUFF. 

of  the  world ;  and  which,  from  the  familiar,  affectionate,  and 
almost  universal  use  made  of  him  on  this  continent,  and  from  the 
growing  demand  which  is  made  for  him  in  other  countries,  has 
already  become  an  American  commercial  product,  of  vast  impor- 
tance and  proportions.  It  is  certain  that  this  animal  is  an 
American  production ;  as  much  so,  in  fact,  as  the  thorough-bred 
horse,  which  disdainfully  gives  weight  at  Goodwood  and  Ascot  to 
the  purer  descendants  of  his  Arabian  ancestry,  is  a  creation  of  the 
English  breeding-stable  and  the  English  race-course.  And  it  is 
also  certain,  that  the  development  of  the  American  trotter  to  its 
present  marvellous  pre-eminence  over  all  other  breeds  of  horses 
used  for  harness  and  road  purposes  is  more  due  to  Hiram  Wood- 
ruff than  to  any,  if  not  than  to  all  other  men  who  ever  lived. 
Those  who  know  the  history  of  trotting  in  this  country,  and  who 
recall  to  mind  the  average  speed  of  the  fast  harness-horse  when 
Hiram  identified  himself  with  its  advancement,  will  not  hesitate 
to  say,  that  he  doubled  the  value  of  the  original  element  on  which 
he  worked,  and,  at  the  end  of  a  few  years,  gave  a,  great  animal  to 
the  country,  in  place  of  what  had  been  only  a  good  animal  before. 
It  is  recognized  by  those  who  are  versed  in  the  origin  and  char- 
acteristics of  the  American  trotter,  that  the  highest  type  of  that 
invaluable  breed  descends  from  the  English  thorough-bred  horse 
Messenger,  which  was  imported  into  this  country  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  last  century.  Indeed,  so  widely  is  this  fact  acknowledged, 
that  breeders  of  experience,  in  view  of  the  excellence  of  which  he 
was  the  founder,  and  of  the  vast  extent  of  the  interest  which  has 
proceeded  from  his  loins,  have  been  heard  to  declare,  that,  when 
that  old  gray  came  charging  down  the  gang-plank  of  the  ship 
which  brought  him  over,  the  value  of  not  less  than  one  hundred 
millions  of  dollars  struck  our  soil.  If  that  be  true,  the  man  who 
developed  Messenger's  value  through  his  progeny  can  hardly  be 
regarded  as  less  than  a  genius,  as  well  as  a  public  benefactor.  It 
cannot  be  doubted,  therefore,  that  HIRAM  WOODRUFF  was  the 
man  of  his  period  for  the  development  of  the  interest  with  which 
he  identified  himself;  and  in  proportion  to  the  importance  of  that 
interest  will  his  merits  be  valued  by  posterity.  In  all  the  future 
of  our  particular  turf-history,  his  figure  will  loom  up  to  the  contem- 
plation of  its  followers,  as  the  sole  great  man  who  had  been  pro- 
duced, in  connection  with  that  interest,  down  to  the  day  of  his  de 
cease. 


HIRAM  WOODRUFF.  xix 

But  HIRAM  WOODRUFF  brought  something  more  tc  fcis  vocation 
than  a  mere  intuitive  perception  of  the  new  principles  by  which 
the  trotter  was  to  be  improved.  He  brought  a  generous,  cheerful, 
kindly  nature ;  and  his  faculties  were  insensibly  buoyed  and  sus- 
tained by  that  invariable  accompaniment  of  true  genius,  —  a  good 
heart.  He  had,  moreover,  one  of  those  happy  dispositions  of 
mixed  simplicity  and  candor,  which  commands  at  once  the  confi- 
dence of  men,  and  which,  when  its  influences  are  applied  to  the 
secondary  animals,  fascinates  and  subjects  them  completely  to  the 
owner's  will.  There  is  nothing  which  recognizes  the  subtle  in- 
stincts of  affection  so  quickly,  and  which  knows  them  so  unmis- 
takably, as  a  horse ;  and  much  of  HIRAM'S  facility  of  communica- 
ting his  purpose  to  the  animal  he  rode  or  drove  or  trained  pro* 
ceeded  from  his  power  of  making  it  love  him.  Like  RAREY,  his 
doctrine  was  kindness  ;  and,  when  he  walked  through  his  stables, 
the  undoubted  accord  which  he  had  established  with  its  glossy  in- 
mates was  at  once  evinced  by  the  low  whinnies  of  welcome  which 
would  greet  his  kindly  presence  as  he  went  from  stall  to  stall. 
They  knew  him  for  the  friend  who  mixed  among  them,  almost  as 
if  he  were  an  equal,  and  who  never  ceased  to  talk  to  them  as  if 
they  were  his  equals  when  he  took  them  out  for  their  exercise,  or 
even  when  he  encouraged  them  during  the  strife  of  the  arena. 
What  would  they  not  do  for  that  man,  which  he  could  make  them 
understand  ?  and  how  could  they  fail  to  know  his  wish,  when,  in- 
spiring them  with  his  chirrup,  and  shaking  the  bit  in  their  mouths, 
he  "  lifted  "  them,  as  it  were,  and  sent  them  whirling  with  an  unknown 
velocity  along  the  course  ?  Perhaps  Flora  Temple  was  the  most 
remarkable  instance  of  the  great  horseman's  conquest  over  animal 
affection  during  his  career.  She  loved  him  with  an  unmistakable 
cordiality ;  and  when  he  and  she  were  engaged  in  some  of  their 
most  notable  struggles,  the  man  and  horse  seemed  to  be  but  parts 
of  the  same  creature,  animated  by  the  fury  of  a  common  purpose. 
Many  drivers  have  been  heard  to  wonder  how  it  was  that  HIRAM 
obtained  such  a  mysterious  mastery  over  his  horses  on  all  occa- 
sions ;  but  the  secret  was,  that  he  gained  their  confidence  through 
their  affections ;  and,  after  that,  every  thing  was  easy.  The  reason 
why  women  so  easily  fascinate  a  horse  is  because  of  the  tenderness 
of  their  approach ;  and,  so  far  as  gentleness  went,  HIRAM  WOOD- 
RUFF had  the  nature  of  a  woman. 

Commanding  the  horse,  therefore,  to  the  absolute  extent  he  did, 


XX  HIRAM   WOODRUFF. 

there  is  no  reason  for  wonder  that  he  made  his  steed  understand 
himself,  as  well  as  know  his  master.  One  half  of  a  horse's  speed 
is  in  the  mind  of  his  rider  or  driver.  When  it  is  known  to  the 
world  that  a  horse  has  made  a  mile  a  second  or  half-second  faster 
than  it  was  ever  made  before,  some  rider  of  some  other  horse, 
nerving  himself  with  the  knowledge  of  the  fact,  and  infusing  that 
knowledge  into  his  horse  by  dint  of  his  own  enthusiasm,  sends  him 
a  second  or  two  faster  still ;  and  the  result  of  the  mental  emula- 
tion is  a  permanent  improvement  which  never  is  retraced.  HIRAM 
WOODRUFF  was  the  first  to  take  this  mental  grip  of  the  powers  of 
the  trotting-horse ;  and  the  result,  in  his  case,  was,  that,  by  dint  of 
his  own  mind,  he  carried  him  triumphantly  over  the  gap  which 
lies  between  2.40  and  2.18. 

There  are  yet  other  characteristics  of  HIRAM  WOODRUFF, 
which,  in  bidding  him  farewell,  we  are  called  upon  to  notice. 
Viewed  in  connection  with  his  peculiar  walk  in  life,  these  traits  are, 
if  possible,  more  remarkable  than  his  genius ;  and  they  arrest  the 
attention  as  matters  of  surprise.  We  allude  to  his  incorruptible 
personal  integrity  under  the  usual  temptations  of  his  station.  It  is 
not  enough,  therefore,  to  say  that  HIRAM  WOODRUFF  was  an  hon- 
est man.  He  was  more  than  that ;  for  he  was  utterly  incapable 
even  of  sharp  practices,  or  meannesses  of  any  kind.  Happen  what 
might,  he  would  not  conceal  any  of  his  opinions  from  an  employer, 
or  retain  an  employment  by  misrepresenting  the  merits  of  an  ani- 
mal intrusted  to  his  care.  And,  when  he  brought  his  horse  to  the 
arena,  it  was  certain  he  would  be  honestly  driven,  however  the 
money  might  be  on.  The  most  abandoned  men  who  frequent 
the  trotting-tracks  dared  not,  even  after  he  had  been  on  the  turf 
but  a  short  tune,  venture  to  approach  him  with  a  dishonorable 
proposition ;  for  they  had  discovered  his  invincible  integrity,  and 
felt,  that,  in  such  case,  their  exposure  was  inevitable.  In  this  re- 
spect, and  taking  all  things  together,  HIRAM  WOODRUFF  may  be 
regarded  as  a  phenomenon.  Here  is  a  man,  born,  as  it  were,  in 
the  very  dregs  of  the  stable,  thrown  constantly  among  the  vicious 
and  depraved,  and  frequently  tempted  by  the  most  alluring  oppor- 
tunities of  profit,  who  preserves  his  integrity  intact,  in  the  midst 
of  a  general  society  largely  tainted  with  corruption,  and  during  a 
period  in  which  the  honesty  of  almost  every  public  officer  is  touched 
with  suspicion.  It  is  not  singular,  therefore,  that  no  trainer  or 
driver  ever  envied  HIRAM  his  business  or  disputed  his  superiority. 


HIE  AM  WOODRUFF.  XXI 

His  virtues  were  above  the  aim  of  jealousy ;  and  bis  mission  was  as 
much  to  prove  to  bad  men  the  value  of  leading  a  good  life,  as  to 
improve  the  condition  of  the  horse.  He  was  a  boon  not  only  to 
those  of  his  own  order,  but  to  society  at  large.  He  never  betrayed 
his  trust ;  never  was  suspected  of  a  lie ;  and,  if  good  deeds  can 
charter  a  man  to  be  regarded  as  a  Christian,  HIRAM  WOODRUFF 
certainly  was  one. 

On  the  22d  of  February,  he  celebrated  his  fiftieth  birthday 
with  his  friends  at  home ;  and  he  exhibited  on  that  occasion, 
while  alluding  to  the  "  events  "  for  which  he  stood  engaged,  the 
same  cheerful  confidence  which  marked  all  his  expectations.  He 
now  lies  on  that  slope  of  Cypress  Hill  which  looks  toward  the 
course  on  which  he  has  earned  so  much  of  his  renown. 

Many  a  throng  which  will  gather  during  the  coming  seasons 
to  witness  the  contests  of  the  horses  he  had  in  part  prepared  will 
turn  gloomily  to  that  cold  hill ;  and  there  will  be  none  among  them 
who  will  not  feel  that  there  is  a  great  void  in  their  midst,  and  that 
the  Master  has  gone. 

GEORGE  WILKES. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOK. 


BY    CHARLES    J.    FOSTER. 


"  He  was  a  man  !  take  him  for  all  in  all, 
I  shall  not  look  upon  his  like  again ! " 

OUR  dear,  esteemed  friend,  Hiram  Woodruff,  died  on  tlie  morn- 
ing of  Friday,  March  15, 18G7,  and  was  buried  on  the  following 
Sunday,  in  the  Cypress-hills  Cemetery,  between  East  New  York 
and  the  house  he  kept  so  long.  It  has  become  our  mournful  duty  to 
sketch,  as  nearly  as  we  may,  some  incidents  of  his  life,  and  to  show 
what  manner  of  man  he  was.  Hiram  Washington  Woodruff  was 
born  on  the  22d  of  February,  1817 ;  and  consequently,  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  he  was  fifty  years  and  twenty-one  days  old.  His 
father,  John  Woodruff,  afterwards  called  by  his  friends  and  familiar 
acquaintances  "  Colonel  Ogden,"  lived  at  Birmingham,  a  small 
place  near  Flemington,  in  Huntington  County,  New  Jersey,  where 
his  wife  bore  him  his  second  son,  Hiram.  The  eldest  son  was 
Isaac,  and  the  youngest  William.  These  brothers,  witli  their  sister 
Margaret  (Mrs.  Nelson),  still  survive.  The  Woodruffs  were  a 
family  of  horsemen.  The  old  colonel  was  noted  as  a  trainer.  His 
brother,  George  Woodruff,  was  still  more  famous  in  that  capacity, 
and  was  without  an  equal  perhaps,  except  Peter  Whelan,  as  a 
rider  of  trotting-horses,  until  his  nephew  appeared,  and  surpassed 
them  both.  It  was  at  one  time  intended  that  Hiram  should  learn 
a  trade,  and  that  of  a  hatter  was  thought  suitable.  But  in  him, 
boy  as  he  was,  the  call  "  to  horse  "  was  already  like  that  of  the 

xxiii 


XXIV  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 

trumpet  to  the  trooper  when  it  sounds  "  boots  and  saddle."  Very 
early  in  life  he  began  to  ride ;  and  the  foundation  of  his  future 
immense  and  accurate  knowledge  of  horsemanship,  in  all  its 
branches  and  in  all  their  details,  was  laid  while  he  was  a  little  boy. 
He  was  but  fifty  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death  ;  and,  forty  years 
before,  he  had  ridden  the  famous  trotting-horse  Topgallant  —  a 
son  of  imported  Messenger — at  his  exercise.  Thus  the  first  horse 
with  whom  we  can  certainly  associate  this  most  celebrated  of 
trainers,  riders,  and  drivers,  was  one  worthy  of  his  own  high  re- 
nown. Upon  the  merits  of  this  game  old  horse,  who  was  spavined 
in  both  hind-legs,  and  yet  in  his  twenty-fourth  year  beat  Whale- 
bone three-mile  heats,  Hiram  loved  to  dwell. 

Top-Gallant  was  one  of  a  lot  of  famous  horses  in  the  stable  of 
George  Woodruff,  and  Hiram  learned  his  first  regular  lessons  in 
horsemanship  from  his  uncle.  His  first  race  was  ridden  at  the 
Hunting-park  Course,  Philadelphia,  where  George  had  Top- 
gallant, Whalebone,  Columbus,  and  others  of  great  note,  in  training. 
The  gentlemen  who  frequented  the  ground  one  afternoon  offered  a 
purse,  to  be  trotted  for  by  any  horses  that  the  boys  could  pick  up. 
Young  Hiram  (he  was  then  fourteen  years  old)  knew  that  there 
was  at  plough  in  a  field  hard  by  a  horse  called  Shaking  Quaker, 
that  had  trotted  on  Long  Island.  This  horse  he  got,  and  with  him 
he  won  the  purse.  In  two  or  three  weeks  it  was  followed  by 
another  race  for  a  larger  amount,  Mr.  F.  Duffy  having  backed  his 
mare  Lady  Kate  to  trot  fifteen  miles  an  hour.  He  selected 
Hiram  and  another  boy  to  ride,  never  imagining'  that  one  of  them 
could  ride  a  fast  trotter  a  whole  hour  without  a  rest.  Duffy,  in  fact, 
played  a  keen  game ;  for  he  led  the  mare  up  and  down  by  the  bridle, 
with  a  heavy  saddle  on,  and  induced  the  backers  of  time  to  believe 
that  he  was  going  to  ride  her  himself.  His  money  was  well  laid, 
and  the  time  for  the  start  was  near,  when  the  backers  of  the  watch, 
to  their  surprise  and  confusion,  saw  little  Hiram  come  out  of  the 
bushes,  with  his  light  saddle  on  his  arm,  to  ride  the  mare.  She 
trotted  sixteen  miles  in  a  trifle  less  than  fifty-seven  minutes,  and 
Hiram  rode  her  all  through. 

Two  years  later  he  rode  in  another  time-match,  and  acquired  still 
higher  distinction.  His  father  was  then  keeping  the  Harlem-park 
Course ;  and  there  Mr.  William  Niblo  had  in  training,  under  his 
own  supervision,  a  gray  gelding  called  Paul  Pry,  a  grandson  of  im- 
ported Messenger.  This  horse  was  matched  for  two  thousand 


OF  THE  AUTHOR.  xxv 

dollars  a  side,  to  trot  sixteen  miles  an  hour,  with  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  a  side  on  every  quarter  over  that  distance  up  to 
seventeen  and  three-quarter  miles.  Hiram  rode  Paul  Pry  at  his 
work,  and  was  chosen  to  steer  him  in  his  race  on  the  Union 
Course.  The  confidence  Mr.  Niblo  had  in  the  strength,  endur- 
ance, and  judgment  of  the  lad  of  sixteen  was  signally  justified 
by  the  event.  Hiram  rode  the  horse  eighteen  miles  in  a  fraction 
les«  than  fifty-nine  minutes,  and  the  last  quarter  was  jogged  out  at 
that.  Considering  the  great  difficulty  there  is  in  riding  fast 
trotters  many  miles  at  a  time,  and  recollecting  the  fact  that  Paul 
Pry  was  a  puller,  this  was  a  very  remarkable  feat;  and  those 
among  the  trainers  and  amateurs  who  looked  ahead  must  have 
concluded  that  in  this  lad  there  was  the  stuff  of  which  great  men 
are  made.  Some  have  said  that  Hiram  Woodruff  first  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  riding  Dutchman ;  but  it  is  an  error.  He 
was  famous  before  Dutchman  had  left  the  string-team  which  hauled 
the  brick-cart. 

At  this  time,  and  for  many  years  afterwards,  Hiram  was  a 
model  of  strength,  grace,  activity,  and  suppleness.  He  was  a 
swift  runner  and  a  mighty  jumper  and  leaper,  as  well  as  a  bold 
and  skilful  rider;  and  his  stamina  was  afterwards  found  to  be 
such,  that  Jack  Harrison,  a  noted  matchmaker  of  those  days, 
publicly  offered  to  back  him  to  ride  different  horses  a  hundred 
miles  in  five  hours.  The  offer  was  not  accepted  ;  for  the  sports- 
men had  already  learned,  that,  with  uncommon  fine  constitutional 
stamina,  young  Woodruff  possessed  sinews  of  steel,  nerves  that 
could  not  be  shaken,  and  an  intuitive  sagacity  which  made  him 
master  of  almost  any  situation,  and  capable  of  accomplishing 
almost  any  feat.  All  this,  too,  was  accompanied  by  a  cheerful 
modesty  of  disposition,  which  endeared  him  to  his  associates,  and 
a  high  rectitude  of  principle,  which  his  friends  can  now  justly 
boast  was  never  in  his  whole  life  impaired.  His  integrity,  indeed, 
through  life,  has  been  of  that  adamantine  and  obstinate  degree 
that  it  never  took  the  seeming  of  a  flaw.  It  was  of  that  high 
quality  which  may  be  compared  to  the  constancy  and  courage  of  a 
bull-dog  of  true  English  breed,  which  may  be  cut  up  piecemeal, 
but  can  never  be  subdued. 

It  was  while  here  at  Harlem  that  Hiram  was  fortunate  enough 
to  win  the  affections  of  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Howe,  a  young  lady  of 
great  personal  beauty  and  much  sweetness  of  disposition.  His  fa- 


xxvi  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 

ther  soon  moved  to  the  old  Centreville  House,  near  the  Centreville 
Course ;  and  Hiram  went  with  him.  On  Christmas  Day,  1836,  and 
therefore  before  he  had  quite  arrived  at  his  twentieth  birthday, 
Hiram  Woodruff  was  married  to  Sarah  Ann  Howe,  at  Jamaica. 
He  took  his  young  bride  home  with  him  to  his  father's  ;  and  now, 
over  his  grave,  after  his  more  than  thirty  years  of  wedded  life  have 
ended,  his  friends  can  truly  say  that  never  was  man  more  blessed 
in  an  excellent  wife  than  he,  in  her  he  loved  so  well,  and  has  left 
to  mourn  behind  him. 

It  was  not  long  after  his  marriage  when  Dutchman  came  into 
his  hands.  The  first  race  he  won  with  him  was  against  Lady  Suf- 
folk and  Rattler.  The  latter  was  trained  and  ridden  by  William 
Whelan,  brother  of  Peter  of  famous  memory,  and  himself  now  sur- 
vivor of  his  old  and  valued  friend  Hiram.  Out  of  this  race  grew 
that  at  three-mile  heats  between  Dutchman  and  Rattler,  which 
was  won  by  the  former  in  four  heats.  The  two  friends  latterly,  in 
their  reviews  of  what  happened  thirty  years  ago,  used  to  ride  this 
race  again.  Hiram  would  show  how  it  was  won;  and  Wnelan 
argue  that  it  was  lost  because  Rattler  was  a  poor  feeder,  and  so,  at 
that  time,  not  quite  equal  to  Dutchman  in  lasting  qualities.  These 
young  riders  and  trainers  were  now  "  the  coming  men."  George 
Woodruff  and  Peter  Whelan  were  to  have  successors  as  great,  if 
not  greater,  than  themselves.  The  seas  soon  separated  the  young 
men.  Whelan  went  to  England  with  Rattler,  where  he  beat  every 
thing  with  ridiculous  ease,  and  issued  a  challenge  to  the  world. 
Thereupon  an  English  merchant  of  New  York  sounded  Hiram 
Woodruff,  to  ascertain  whether  he  would  go  to  England  to  train 
and  ride  Dutchman  if  the  horse  were  purchased.  Hiram  was  not 
very  anxious  to  leave  his  home  and  his  young  wife ;  but  his  confi- 
dence was  great  in  Dutchman,  and  he  consented  to  go.  But  the 
bargain  for  the  horse  went  off.  His  owners  were  offered  two 
thousand  seven  hundred  dollars  and  a  black  mare,  then  in 
Hiram's  hands,  for  him.  They  wanted  three  thousand  dollars 
and  the  mare.  Whelan  thinks  that  Rattler  might  have  de- 
feated Dutchman  in  England,  as  the  former  had  got  to  feeding 
strong  there.  But  Hiram  has  often  told  us  that  the  probabilities 
were  all  the  other  way,  as  Dutchman's  great  speed  was  only  just 
coming  to  him  when  he  beat  Rattler  in  the  race  of  four  heats.  In 
Hiram's  hands,  Dutchman  performed  three  great  feats.  The  first 
was  the  defeat  of  Rattler  in  the  great  race  of  four  three^inile  heats. 


OF  THE  AUTHOR.  xxvii 

The  second  was  the  distancing  of  Awful,  three  miles  in  harness,  in 
7m.  41s.  The  third  was  the  time-match,  three  miles,  in  which  the 
mark,  still  standing  at  the  head  of  the  record,  7m.  32|s.,  was  made. 
Hiram  has  always  maintained,  and  no  doubt  with  good  reason, 
that  Dutchman  could  have  greatly  surpassed  this.  In  the  second 
mile,  which  was  trotted  in  2m.  28s.,  Isaac  Woodruff,  who  was  on 
the  running  companion,  conceived  that  Hiram  was  going  too  fast, 
and  called  to  him  to  pull.  The  third  mile  was  in  2m.  30s.,  and 
Dutchman  was  pulled  all  the  way.  It  was  Hiram's  conviction  that 
he  could  have  trotted  this  in  2m.  26s.  This  very  remarkable 
horse  was  not  coarse,  as  many  suppose  him  to  have  been.  He 
showed  breeding  in  form  as  well  as  bottom,  and  was  savage  in  dis- 
position. After  his  time-match  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  and 
Hiram  beat  him  two  or  three  times  with  Washington.  But  he 
returned  into  Hiram's  hands,  and  trotted  his  famous  races  with 
Americus  under  his  direction. 

Hiram  Woodruff  had  then  just  reached  his  twenty-sixth  year, 
and  had  fully  entered  upon  that  career  of  hard  work,  and  useful- 
ness which  was  increasing  in  importance  every  day,  which  finally 
made  him  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  renowned  men  in 
America,  and  in  which  his  genius,  his  faithfulness,  and  his  sagacity 
enabled  him  to  do  his  country  weighty  and  honorable  service. 
The  greatest  nations,  and  many  of  the  greatest  men  that  have  ex- 
isted in  the  world,  have  held,  that,  next  to  the  improvement  and 
culture  of  mankind  itself,  the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  the 
horse  is  one  of  the  best  and  mightiest  of  tasks.  Our  country  is 
distinguished  abroad,  as  well  as  at  home,  for  having  effected  the 
greatest  and  most  surprising  improvement  in  the  horse  of  daily 
use,  the  trotter,  that  is  mentioned  in  the  annals  of  horsemanship, 
from  the  period  of  the  misty  fables  of  Castor,  Pollux,  and  Chiron 
the  Centaur,  down  to  this  day.  Now,  for  this  improvement  the 
country  is  more  indebted  to  Hiram  Woodruff  than  to  any  other 
man  —  or  any  ten  men.  Nobody  with  any  character  for  sense  and 
veracity  will  dispute  this. 

Before  he  had  done  with  Dutchman  on  the  turfj  Kipton  had 
come  to  Hiram  Woodruff;  and  this  "white-legged  pony"  soon 
became  as  great  a  favorite  with  him,  as  great  a  prodigy  with  the 
public,  and  as  great  a  scourge  to  those  who  stood  against  him,  as 
Dutchman  had  been.  He  it  was  that  first  made  two  miles  in  5m. 
7s.,  in  harness,  going  against  Lady  Suffolk ;  and  he  finally  became 


XXViil  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 

such  a  thorn  in  Bryan's  side,  that  he  declared  the  mare  should  not 
trot  against  him  any  more,  unless  it  was  under  saddle.  It  was  in 
driving  Ripton  against  Americus,  that  Hiram  displayed  one  of  his 
finest  exhibitions  of  coolness,  craft,  and  science.  He  won  the  race 
against  Ameri;us  when  a  hundred  to  five  had  been  laid  on  the 
latter  horse.  Ripton  was  one  of  Hiram's  prime  favorites.  His 
fine  speed,  his  stoutness,  his  grand  action,  his  turbulent  spirits,  and 
indomitable  game,  were  themes  that  Hiram  never  tired  of  when  he 
had  once  begun.  To  hear  him  and  Dan  Pfifer,  who  took  care  of  the 
"  white-legged  pony,"  go  on  about  him,  with  Sim  Hoagland  and 
Whelan  to  drop  in  suggestive  and  sage  remarks  here  and  there, 
was  a  treat  indeed.  The  "  white-legged  pony  "  was  also  a  prime 
favorite  with  Hiram's  devoted  friend  Oliver  Marshall.  Friends ! 
when  shall  we  truly  realize  that  the  tongue  which  spoke  with  such 
wisdom,  enthusiasm,  and  terse  eloquence,  at  these,  our  well-remem- 
bered sittings,  is  silent  now  forever  ? 

It  is  beyond  the  scope  of  this  sketch,  even  to  mention  by  name 
all  the  horsey  which  Hiram  trained,  rode,  and  drove.  His  own 
work  (which  follows)  may  be  referred  to  as  regards  those  of  most 
renown  who  preceded  the  era  of  Flora  Temple.  He  was  always 
fond  of  the  Messenger  blood.  Beginning  with  old  Topgallant, 
and  coming  along  down  with  Paul  Pry,  grandson  of  Messenger ; 
Lady  Suffolk,  his  granddaughter ;  Ajax  and  Hector,  sons  of  Ab- 
dallah;  and  then  to  the  Hambletonians,  of  whom  he  made  the 
wonder,  Dexter,  — what  famous  horses  of  that  famous  strain  came 
to  his  hands  to  have  their  excellencies  made  manifest !  Flora  her- 
self has  a  dash  of  the  blood ;  and  she,  too,  was  the  work  of  Hiram's 
strong,  patient,  and  cunning  hand.  When  he  was  twenty-eight 
years  old,  Hiram  removed  to  Harlem,  and  became  proprietor  of  the 
track  there  which  hi:?  father  had  had.  He  kept  it  two  years,  and 
then  removed  to  Boston,  where  he  was  proprietor  of  the  Cambridge 
Course  from  1847  to  1850.  When  he  returned  to  New  York,  he 
went  into  business  in  the  Union  Saloon,  Broadway ;  which  he  kept 
in  partnership  with  Albert  Losee.  But  the  City  was  not  by  any 
means  the  place  for  Hiram.  His  was  a  spirit  which  delighted  in 
the  country,  by  hill  and  stream,  and  where,  with  hand  upon  the 
shoulder  of  his  horse,  he  could  hear  the  booming  of  the  wild  waves 
on  the  beach.  So,  near  "  old  Long  Island's  sea-girt  shore,"  in  the 
spring  of  1851,  he  took  the  house  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  on  the 
Jamaica  Road,  between  East  New  York  and  the  Cornel's ;  and  this 


OF  THE  AUTHOR.  xxix 

was  known  far  and  wide  for  two  or  three  years  as  "  Hirain  Wood- 
ruffs." When  he  left  that,  it  was  to  remove  to  the  house  in  which 
he  died ;  and  here  his  friends  of  late  years  were  wont  to  assemble 
in  great  numbers  around  him.  He  had  now  reached  his  prime, 
and  gained  a  station  and  esteem  with  the  world  at  large  such  as 
no  other  man  in  the  like  capacity  had  ever  attained  to.  Hundreds 
of  thousands  who  had  never  seen  the  man  held  him  in  regard ;  and 
all  through  the  regions  of  the  West  his  name  was  in  their  mouths, 
familiar  as  a  household  word.  In  the  Eastern  States,  too,  he  was 
very  much  respected  and  beloved.  He  often  visited  Boston  and 
Prcvidence^,  and  these  trips  were  his  great  holidays.  His  arrival 
at  these  places  was  the  signal  for  general  rejoicing.  Troops  of 
friends  crowded  round  him  to  express  their  satisfaction,  and  mani- 
fest their  attachment.  When  thus  away  from  home,  the  deep  and 
abiding  love  he  cherished  for  his  wife  was  seen  by  his  nearest 
friends  in  his  behavior.  She  was  never  out  of  his  thought ;  and 
when  his  friends  got  him  to  stay  a  day  or  two  longer,  he  always 
sent  despatches  home.  He  loved  music ;  and  one  there  was  in  the 
Eastern  States  who  used  to  sing  a  song  called  "  My  Sarah."  This 
never  failed  to  move  Hiram  to  tears. 

One  other  recreation  he  greatly  enjoyed.  It  was  his  custom  to 
go  down  upon  the  shores  of  Jamaica  Bay,  in  the  summer  time,  and 
there,  camping  out  in  a  shady  grove  with  a  few  friends,  spend  the 
days  in  fishing.  Oliver  Marshal  and  Henry  Collins  were  common- 
ly his  associates  in  these  excursions.  Dan  Pfifer  was  often  there ; 
and  Sim  Hoagland  drove  over  to  the  camp  most  days.  Hiram  and 
Dan  had  matches  at  fishing  as  they  had  at  training  and  driving. 
Hiram  took  great  catches  of  blue-fish  when  they  were  running ; 
but  in  spite  of  all  his  delicate  manipulations  of  the  line,  —  and  he 
had  a  finger  as  true  as  that  of  a  player  on  a  harp-string,  —  he 
could  never  catch  a  sheep's-head.  Pfifer  caught  a  few ;  but  there 
was  another  of  their  friends  who  beat  them  both,  far  and  away,  in 
catching  this  delectable  and  noble  fish.  It  was  William  Shaw, 
another  fine  horseman,  whose  youth  and  manhood  had  been  mostly 
passed  in  training  runners.  His  death,  some  time  ago,  was  suita- 
bly noticed.  He  went  home  ill  from  a  party  at  Hiram's,  given  to 
celebrate  the  wedding  of  his  daughter  to  young  Hiram  Howe,  and 
never  left  his  bed  alive.  He  .died  of  a  relapse  of  fever,  contracted 
in  the  service  of  his  country  at  New  Orleans  during  the  great  war. 
Henry  Collins  was  always  on  the  fishing-excursions,  and  amused 


XXX  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 

the  others  by  his  sallies  of  dry,  quaint  wit.  His  death  was  not 
long  after  that  of  Mr.  Shaw ;  and  it  was  a  heavy  blow  to  Hi- 
ram, Collins  had  been  such  a  loving,  faithful  friend  and  compan- 
ion. It  is,  indeed,  to  be  especially  remarked,  that  Hiram  Wood- 
ruff had,  above  most  men,  the  gift  of  inspiring  true  affection.  It 
was  the  pure  sincerity  and  simplicity  of  his  nature  which  effected 
this.  He  was  as  open  and  frank  as  a  child :  he  could  not  even 
think  a  rascality ;  and  rascals  as  well  as  honest  men  knew  it.  Then 
his  kindliness  of  disposition,  and  generosity,  won  the  heart  at  once. 
If  a  neighbor  wanted  any  thing,  —  if  the  poor,  the  sick,  the  aged, 
or  the  feeble  wanted  aid,  —  he  gave  it ;  not  patronizingly  or  pomp- 
ously, but  just  as  though  he  was  paying  them  something  that 
he  owed.  Alas  !  we  have  looked  our  last  upon  this  great,  loving, 
charitable,  child-like  man. 

He  was  not  of  a  demonstrative  nature,  except  among  his  cher- 
ished and  trusted  friends ;  but  the  least  sign  of  suffering,  or  need 
of  sympathy,  in  any  one,  opened  the  flood-gates  of  his  heart.  His 
face  was  square,  with  immense  firmness  about  the  jaw.  His  fore- 
head was  broad  and  lofty ;  his  eye,  a  deep,  dark  gray.  It  was 
eminently  a  thoughtful  face;  and  there  was  a  sweetness  in  his 
smile  which  will  not  be  forgotten.  Of  late  years  the  writer  of 
this  has  been  closely  intimate  with  Hiram,  and  has  often  pondered 
over  his  virtues  and  great  parts.  His  scrupulous  .regard  for  the 
feelings  of  others  was  always  shown  when  he  mentioned  other 
trainers  and  drivers.  In  the  composition  of  his  book  he  carefully 
avoided  any  thing  that  could  by  possibility  wound  or  injure  any  of 
them.  It  was,  too,  his  pleasure  to  mention"  them  individually,  so 
that  he  might  leave  a  testimony  to  their  capacity  and  worth.  This 
was  so  like  the  man !  He  would  do  good  by  stealth.  He  began 
his  work  on  the  American  Trotter  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
Mr.  Wilkes  and  other  friends,  who  felt  convinced,  and  at  last  con- 
vinced him,  that,  out  of  his  vast  store  of  wisdom  and  experience  in 
relation  to  trotting-horses,  he  might  set  down  much  that  would  be 
of  value  to  the  world.  It  was  highly  appreciated.  The  people 
hailed  it  all  over  the  country.  English  papers  copied  chapter  after 
chapter  at  length ;  and  his  old  horsemen  friends  harangued  each 
other  about  it,  declaring,  "It's  capital,  I  tell  you;  and  every 
word  jest  like  Hiram !  I  didn't  know  that  he  could  write  any 
thing  more  than  a  letter ;  but,  in  writing  about  horses,  he  can  brat 
'em  all  1 "  Hiram  himself  took  pride  and  interest  in  it ;  and  h<re- 


OF  THE  AUTHOR.  xxxi 

in  again  lie  manifested  another  trait  in  regard  to  his  wife.  As 
soon  as  the  paper  arrived,  containing  his  latest  chapter,  he  peremp- 
torily ordered  it  to  be  taken  up  to  Mrs.  Woodruff.  "  For,"  said  he 
to  us,  "  she  reads  it  out  to  the  ladies  that  call  upon  her ;  and,  be- 
tween you  and  me,  she  thinks  it  good ! "  Poor  friend !  he  had  great 
and  just  confidence  in  his  wife's  capacity ;  but  when  ordering 
"  The  Spirit "  up-stairs,  as  soon  as  it  arrived,  much  to  the  dis- 
satisfaction of  some  who  wanted  to  read  it  down-stairs,  it  never 
occurred  to  him  that  he  could  have  as  many  copies  as  he  pleased. 
His  uncle  George  and  Crepe  Collins  were  much  pleased  with  the 
work  as  it  progressed ;  so  were  Oliver  Marshall  and  Sun  Hoag- 
land.  Some  fools  thought  he  was  not  the  author  of  it ;  as  if  any 
other  living  man  but  he,  no  matter  what  might  be  that  man's  ca- 
pacity, could  have  produced  it. 

His  opinions  about  horses  and  horse-matters  were  decided  when 
once  formed ;  but  he  was  far-seeing  and  cautious  in  the  making  of 
them.  Mr.  Bonner's  gray  mare,  Peerless,  was  at  the  very  top  of 
his  esteem,  —  his  model  of  a  fast  and  lasting  trotter.  Like  Rip- 
ton,  Kcmble,  Jackson,  Flora  Temple,  and  so  many  others,  she  was 
formed  by  him.  Dexter  stood  as  high  as  any  for  racing-purposes. 
Hiram  amazed  us  when,  early  in  that  famous,  horse's  career,  he 
predicted  that  he  would  beat  the  world.  Many  thought  him  al- 
most crazy  to  match  Dexter  against  Stonewall  Jackson  of  Hart- 
ford, three-mile  heats.  Dexter's  two  greatest  races  in  his  hands 
were  the  two-mile  heats  to  wagons ;  in  which  he  beat  Butler  the 
second  heat  in  4m.  56|s. ;  and  the  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  har- 
ness, in  which  he  beat  Butler  and  Vanderbilt  in  five  heats.  But- 
ler won  the  first  and  second  heats,  and  Eoff  considered  that  he 
had  the  money  in  his  pocket.  Odds  of  ten  to  one  were  laid  upon 
the  black  horse,  and  great  sums  were  pending.  Dexter  was  sore 
and  lame.  Nothing  but  a  mighty  effort  could  save  the  race ;  but 
the  great  master  of  the  art,  the  King  of  American  Horsemen,  was 
behind  the  brown  gelding,  and  he  now  displayed  one  more  of  his 
grand  masterpieces.  He  won  the  third  heat.  The  fourth  he  won 
in  the  unprecedented  time  of  2m.  24|s. ;  and  Vanderbilt  was  dis- 
tanced. The  backers  of  the  Contraband  stood  aghast.  The  men 
from  the  South  Side  gave  a  roar  that  might  have  been  heard  at 
Jamaica  Bay.  "  We  have  got  you,"  they  cried  to  the  friends  of 
Butler :  "  Eoff  is  a  captain,  but  this  is  the  Old  Field-Marshal  here 
behind  Dexter  1 "  Thousands  were  present ;  but  there  was  not  a 


xxxii  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 

sound  to  be  heard,  save  the  tramp  of  these  famous  horses,  as  their 
more  famous  drivers  brought  them  along,  in  scoring  for  the  decid- 
ing heat.  Eoff  drove  with  immense  resolution  and  skill ;  but  the 
hand  of  the  great  master  was  upon  the  reins  of  Dexter,  and  he 
•won  the  fifth  heat  in  the  marvellous  time  of  2m.  24^s.  "  Now;  I'll 
tell  you  what  it  is,"  said  a  gentleman  who  had  lost  heavily  on  Che 
race :  "  it  is  twenty  or  thirty  per  cent,  in  favor  of  any  horse  that 
Hiram  Woodruff  drives,  —  I  don't  care  who  drives  the  other! 
I've  paid  dear  enough  for  that  opinion ;  and  it's  mine !  " 

Lady  Emma  was  another  held  very  high  in  the  judgment  of 
Hiram,  and  her  owner  was  fast  in  his  dearest  esteem ;  but,  at  the 
end  of  the  last  season  that  the  great  trainer  and  driver  was  ever 
to  see,  the  horse  of  his  heart  was  Mr.  Bonner's  chestnut,  the  fa- 
mous Auburn  Horse.  Very  late  last  fall  we  took  one  of  our  ac- 
customed drives  over  to  Hiram's,  and  found  all  about  the  place  in 
a  sort  of  pleasant  commotion.  Hiram  Howe,  Pelham  John,  Long 
Tom  Fan-ell,  Dan  Delahay,  and  several  others,  were  full  of  what 
the  Auburn  Horse  had  done  that  morning.  Nothing  was  ever 
seen  like  it,  they  averred,  since  old  Pocahontas  the  pacer  dis- 
tanced Hero  in  2m.  17£s.  The  horse  had,  unquestionably,  come 
up  the  stretch  with  such  an  electric  burst  of  speed  as  had  amazed 
the  spectators.  It  never  was  Hiram's  practice  to  talk  about  his 
horses  to  Mrs.  Woodruff;  but,  on  this  occasion,  he  had  no  sooner 
returned  from  the  course,  than  he  went  in,  and  told  her  that.he  had 
never  ridden  so  fast  behind  a  trotter  in  his  life  as  on  that  morning. 
This  we  had  from  Mrs.  Woodruff  the  same  day.  When  we 
reached  Hiram,  in  the  stable-yard,  he  made  use  of  the  very  same 
expression.  While  we  were  talking,  Mr.  Bonner  drove  up.  We 
all  three  went  to  the  box,  and  Hiram  stripped  the  chestnut.  "  He 
is,"  said  he,  "the  best  balanced  big  horse  in  America  ! "  After- 
wards, we  all  three  stood  in  the  autumn  sun,  by  the  garden-gate, 
and  a  conversation  ensued.  Hiram  said,  "  I  rode  faster  behind 
him  this  morning  than  ever  I  rode  in  my  life." 

Mr.  Bonner  was  silent ;  and,  it  being  our  custom  to  stand  up  for 
the  absent,  we  determined  to  put  in  a  word  or  two  for  the  gal- 
lant gray.  So  we  said,  "  Now,  look  here,  Hiram :  you  rode  at  the 
rate  of  two  minutes  to  the  mile  behind  Peerless  for  a  quarter. 
Capt.  Moore  will  swear  to  it  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you 
rode  faster  behind  the  Auburn  Horse  than  behind  the  gray 
marc?" 


OF  THE  AUTHOR.  xxxiii 

"  Faster  than  bclaind  the  gray  mare  ?  Faster  than  I  ever  rode 
behind  any  horse  I "  said  he,  with  his  resolute  eye  aitd  grave 
smile. 

Mr.  Bonner  was  silent  as  Hiram  said  this  with  his  hand  up- 
raised ;  but  we  determined  to  have  another  word,  so  we  at  it  again 
argumentatively.  Hiram  looked  over  toward  the  sea,  where  the 
sun  was  shining  in  the  southern  board ;  and  he  said,  "  If  the 
weather  holds  good  a  few  days  longer,  and  there  is  a  fair  day  and 
track  next  week,  something  will  be  done !  " 

"  What  do  you  think  it  will  be  ?  " 

He  smiled  and  said,  "  Mr.  Bonner  wants  to  know  what  I  think, 
no  doubt ;  and  I  don't  mind  telling  you  what  I  expect,  because 
you  never  blow  things." 

"  Yes,  yes  :  now,  what  do  you  expect  ?  " 

"  To  wipe  out  all  that  has  ever  been  done  on  this  island." 

"  You  mean  all  that  has  ever  been  done  in  harness  ?  " 

"  All  that  has  ever  been  done  at  all.  Listen,  now :  I  am  not 
given  to  exaggeration,  and  I  want  to  keep  within  limits.  I  am 
confident  that  I  can  drive  that  horse  the  first  half-mile  in  1m.  8s. 
If  I  can't  bring  him  home  the  other  half  in  1m.  10s.  I  ought  to  be 
horsewhipped.  That  will  be  2m.  18s." 

It  happened  that  the  weather  got  cold  and  bleak  immediately 
after  that  delicious  afternoon,  and  the  course  was  not  in  order 
again ;  so  the  great  trial  never  came  off.  Knowing  the  care, 
knowledge,  and  vast  experience  which  Hiram  brought  to  the 
making  up  of  his  opinions,  and  having  witnessed  the  gravity  and 
earnestness  with  which  he  advanced  this  as  his  settled  conviction, 
we  fully  believe,  that,  under  favorable  circumstances,  the  chestnut 
could  have  done  what  he  said.  Therefore,  we  say  that  the  Au- 
burn Horse  filled  his  eye  at  the  last  moment  when  there  was  great 
ambition  and  speculation  in  it ;  and  was  the  last,  as  well  as  the 
greatest,  in  point  of  speed,  of  those  world-renowned  trotters 
which  were  stabled  in  Hiram  Woodruff's  vast  brain  and  mighty 
heart. 

During  the  winter,  Hiram's  health  had  not  been  good.  He  had 
several  attacks  of  illness ;  and  when  he  got  a  little  better,  he 
would  get  up  and  go  about  as  though  he  had  not  been  sick.  This 
made  strong  calls  upon  his  constitutional  stamina,  which  had  once 
been  as  good  and  perfect  as  his  honesty  and  pluck.  At  his  birth- 
day, on  the  22d  of  February,  he  was  well,  and  singularly  happy 


xxxiv  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 

and  genial.  He  dined  with  liis  friends ;  consented  to  the  wish  of 
Mr.  Parkes,  of  Brooklyn,  to  sit  for  his  portrait,  to  be  presented  to 
his  wife ;  and,  finally,  had  the  pony  (the  fifty-miler),  brought  into 
the  parlor,  among  his  friends,  in  order  that  he  might  expatiate 
upon  his  rare  merits.  Six  days  after  that  we  saw  Hiram  for  the 
last  time,  a  fortnight  before  his  death ;  and  never,  since  our  friend- 
ship began,  did  we  see  him  more  cheerful,  bright,  and  genial  than 
he  was  upon  that  day.  It  was  a  spring  day,  light  and  mild :  we 
found  Hiram  in  the  yard,  and  he  hailed  us  with  a  cheery  halloa, 
"  I'm  glad  you've  come  :  I'm  getting  ready  for  the  next  campaign ! 
First  of  all,  come  and  look  at  Quicksilver  and  Rosamond." 

We  answered  that  we  were  impatient  to  look  at  Pocahontas  and 
Strideaway.  He  said,  "  Time  enough."  We  looked  at  the 
horses.  We  looked  at  his  hogs.  We  surveyed  the  renowned 
mare  and  her  son.  He  never  was  more  happy,  never  more  plea- 
sant and  wise.  We  said  how  we  rejoiced  to  find  him  looking  and 
feeling  so  well.  He  put  his  hand  upon  our  shoulder ;  and,  with  the 
smile  we  all  knew  and  loved  so  well,  he  said,  "  I  am  not  as  well 
as  I  look,  but  I  am  better  than  I  was  most  of  the  winter." 

We  then  went  and  looked  over  his  wagons  and  sulkies,  which 
had  all  been  painted  and  put  in  order  for  the  season  he  was  never 
to  see.  We  talked  about  his  book,  and  the  plan  of  its  conclusion 
was  settled.  "  You  must  come  here  often,"  said  he :  "I  want  to 
see  you  very  often." 

We  replied,  that,  when  the  roads  got  good,  we  would  often  drive 
over  :  but  he  replied  that  there  was  no  need  to  wait  for  the  roads. 
He  had  a  plan  to  meet  that  difficulty :  it  was,  that  he  would  get  a 
saddle  and  bridle,  and  we  must  ride  over  on  horseback.  "  You 
can  jump  up  and  slip  over  here  anytime  on  horseback;  and  I'll 
see  about  the  saddle  and  bridle  to-morrow." 

It  is  in  some  sort  a  consolation,  that,  at  our  last  parting  from  this 
valued  friend,  he  felt  so  happy,  and  was  so  kindly  disposed  to  us. 
On  the  Sunday  week  following,  he  was  taken  sick  with  bilious 
vomiting  in  the  middle  of  the  night.  Andrew  Howe,  his  relative 
and  confidential  steward,  was  lying  in  the  house  sick,  and  died  the 
next  day.  Hiram  got  worse ;  and  a  despatch  was  sent  for  his 
friend  Mr.  Marshall,  who  arrived  on  Thursday  morning  at  day- 
light. Sim  Hoagland  had  been  constant  in  his  attentions  to  his 
friend.  Mrs.  Woodruff  was,  of  course,  in  sore  distress,  but  still 
hopeful.  The  doctor,  as  Mr.  Marshall  entered,  declared  that  a 


OF  THE  AUTHOR.  xxxv 

change  had  taken  place,  and  that  he  had  great  hopes.     But  this 
was  fallacious.    Even  then  the 

"  Single  warrior,  in  sombre  harness  mailed, 
Dreaded  of  man,  and  surnamed  the  Destroyer, 
The  rampart  wall  had  scaled." 

Hiram  was  anxious  to  talk  then,  but  Mr.  Marshall  wanted  him 
to  keep  quiet ;  so  he  left  him  with  Mrs.  Woodruff,  who  had  made 
him  some  beef-tea.  Towards  night  he  grew  weaker  and  weaker. 
Through  the  long,  sad  watches  of  that  mournful  night  he  failed 
gradually,  but  retained  his  consciousness.  Fondly  pressing  the 
hand  of  his  dear  wife,  and  with  many  a  look  of  affection  cast  upon 
the  brother  of  his  heart,  Marshall,  and  Hiram  Howe,  he  gradually 
sank  away,  and  died  without  a  groan  or  pang,  as  a  baby  falls 
to  sleep.  It  was  ten  minutes  to  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
he  died ;  and  the  last  clearly  articulate  word  that  he  spoke  was 
"  HORSE  1 " 

The  news  of  his  death  caused  an  extraordinary  sensation. 
Thousands  who  had  never  seen  him  —  business  men,  professional 
men,  and  idlers  —  spoke  of  it  as  the  event  of  the  time,  and  always 
with  kindness  and  regret.  It  was  the  same  all  over  the  country, 
for  there  was  not  a  man  in  America,  except  perhaps  General  Grant, 
esteemed  by  a  greater  number  of  people  than  Hiram  Woodruff. 

The  funeral  was  held  on  Sunday,  in  the  afternoon.  The  weather 
was  terrible  for  the  season ;  and  the  roads  so  bad,  that  it  was  only 
by  work  like  that  with  which  pioneers  precede  an  army,  that  the 
house  of  mourning  was  reached  by  many  from  a  distance.  The 
snow  lay  thick  and  deep,  and  fell  all  day.  The  wind  howled  from 
the  east.  White-bearded  Winter  had  come  back  to  shiver  over 
the  grave  of  this  great,  honest  man.  Nevertheless,  there  was  a 
great  concourse  of  people  at  the  funeral.  Full  of  attachment  and 
regret,  they  had  come  from  all  parts  to  pay  the  last  tribute  of  love 
and  respect  to  their  friend.  The  place  was  crowded  in  every  part. 
About  a  hundred  and  fifty  carriages  and  large  sleighs  were  under 
the  sheds  all  about.  Some  of  them  had  been  drawn  by  four  horses ; 
and  this  was  a  wise  forethought  on  the  part  of  their  owners. 
Hiram  lay  in  the  parlor,  in  a  handsome  coffin  of  rosewood  with 
silver-plated  furniture.  We  say  HIRAM,  because,  as  he  lay  there, 
he  looked  so  natural  and  composed,  that  he  seemed  no  cold  corpse, 
but  a  composition  that  still  had  life  in  it,  and  might  awake  and 


xxxvi     BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

speak  at  any  instant.  The  scene  was  very  affecting.  The  coun- 
try people,  who  knew  and  loved  Hiram  well,  had  come  from  their 
farms  and  villages.  When  these  stout  yeoman  looked  upon  his 
calm,  quiet  face,  with  its  sweet  smile,  they  broke  down  at  once ; 
and  "  eyes  albeit  unused  to  the  melting  mood  "  swam  over  with 
tears.  Some  few,  including  Dan  Pfifer,  could  not  trust  themselves 
to  meet  him  face  to  face.  All  the  trainers  and  drivers  were  there, 
with  most  of  the  eminent  owners  of  fast  horses.  The  ladies  were 
there  in  great  numbers ;  and  this  was  truly  fitting,  for  Hiram  was 
always  distinguished  for  his  ceremonious  politeness  to  them.  He 
was,  in  fact,  when  seen  at  his  best,  in  person,  in  dress,  in  manners, 
and  in  mind,  a  thorough  gentleman.  The  service  was  performed 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Munn,  of  East  New  York,  in  an  impressive  man- 
ner. And  then  the  procession,  with  its  mourners,  and  Oliver 
Marshall,  Simeon  D.  Hoagland,  William  Whelan,  Joseph  Croch- 
eron,  John  Crooks,  John  I.  Snedeker,  and  Wellington  Simonson 
as  pall-bearers,  streamed  along  through  the  snow,  to  the  cemetery- 
gate,  and  wound  its  way  up  the  hillside,  and  past  the  lofty  monu- 
ment, to  the  grave.  It  was  a  long  tune  ere  the  most  had  reached 
the  place ;  and  many,  indeed,  never  got  there  at  all  until  after  the 
clods  from  the  spade  fell  on  the  coffin,  and  smote  upon  our  ears 
all  mortal  fate.  Hiram  Woodruff  lies  near  the  summit  of  a  lofty 
hill,  which  overlooks  the  south  side  of  the  Island  and  the  great 
waters  upon  which  he  loved  to  sail.  The  beauties  and  the 
grandeur  of  nature  are  all  about  his  last  resting-place.  When 
it  is  bleak  and  stormy,  as  it  was  that  day,  the  sough  of  the  wind 
seems  to  bear  with  it  the  deep  roar  of  the  majestic  ocean.  When 
it  is  fine,  there  is  no  lovelier  spot  on  all  the  Island ;  and,  standing 
near  his  place  of  rest,  one  can  look  out  far  and  away  over  a  world 
of  life  and  fertile  land  and  busy  waters.  Peace  to  him  who  sleeps 
on  that  hallowed  summit  1 


THE  TKOTTING-HOKSE  OP  AMERICA, 


I. 


Reason  for  writing  the  Book. — Necessity  for  Practical  Experience  in  Train- 
ing. —  The  Author's  Experience.  —  Improvement  in  Tracks  and  Vehicles. 
—  Causes  of  Improvement  in  Time.  —  Originality  of  the  American 
System.  —  Its  great  Superiority  to  the  English  System.  —  Rules  as  to 
Breaking  from  the  Trot. 

I  HAVE  often  had  applications  from  gentlemen  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  country  for  advice  and  instruction  in 
regard  to  the  treatment  of  their  horses,  to  which  I  have 
been  unable  to  make  satisfactory  replies.  My  time  has  been 
too  much  taken  up  in  training  and  driving  the  large  number 
of  horses  placed  in  my  care  to  admit  of  my  writing  letters, 
though  I  have  always  been  willing  to  give  such  information 
as  I  could  to  those  who  sought  it  of  me.  In  the  course  of 
the  work  I  have  now  undertaken,  the  gentlemen  who  have 
applied  to  me,  and  those  who  might  wish  to  do  so,  but  yet, 
knowing  my  constant  occupation,  have  refrained,  will  find 
all  that  it  is  in  my  power  to  communicate  in  regard  to  the 
management  of  trotting-horses.  The  persuasions  and  assur- 
ances of  some  of  my  friends  have  induced  me  to  believe  that 
the  results  of  my  thoughts  and  experiences,  plainly  set  down, 
and  illustrated  here  and  there  by  such  anecdotes  and  recol- 
lections of  our  famous  trotters  as,  being  in  point,  may  most 
readily  present  themselves  to  my  mind,  will  be  interest- 
ing to  the  readers  of  this  my  work,  and  useful  to  the 

37 


38    .  :.-:  \Kpfr 'tkbTTIFG-HQRSE  OF  AMERICA. 

vast  number  of  persons  who  now  keep  good  road-horses, 
if  not  fast  trotters.  It  was  not  without  some  hesitation  that 
I  agreed  to  devote  a  whole  winter  to  the  work  I  have 
begun.  I  found,  upon  reflection,  that  it  would  not  be  very 
easy  for  me  to  convey  in  print  my  own  ideas  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  training  and  driving ;  and  my  own  experience  with 
some  hundreds  of  trotting-horses  has  convinced  me,  that  any 
hope  of  teaching  a  man  how  to  put  a  horse  in  condition  by 
rule  would  be  entirely  fallacious. 

I  say,  then,  at  the  outset,  that  this  work  is  to  be  taken 
more  as  a  guide  and  finger-post,  showing  the  way  to  practical 
experience,  than  as  a  substitute  for  experience  itself.  Such 
general  method  as  I  have  pursued  with  good  results,  I  shall 
communicate ;  but  I  cannot  undertake  to  relate  the  circum- 
stances constantly  arising  among  horses  in  training,  which 
have  called,  and  always  will  call,  for  varied  applications  and 
abatements  of  the  rule.  Of  these,  the  man  in  charge  of  the 
horse  must  be  the  judge  as  they  present  themselves ;  and,  if 
he  is  not  able  to  determine  how  far  the  general  method  may 
be  intensified  or  relaxed  in  the  case  in  hand,  it  is  safe  to  say, 
that  it  will  be  more  a  lucky  accident  than  any  thing  else  if 
the  trotter  is  fit  when  he  comes  to  the  post.  I  say,  without 
any  qualification,  that  a  man  can  no  more  train  horses  by 
means  of  rules  ascertained  beforehand  by  other  people  than 
one  can  cure  the  complaints  the  human  frame  is  subject  to 
by  books  written  by  the  most  learned  of  the  faculty.  It 
would  be  a  great  deal  easier  for  a  clever  man  to  write  a  good 
book  upon  a  given  complaint  than  to  cure  a  case  of  it ;  and, 
if  the  writer  was  taken  with  the  disorder  himself,  I  have  no 
doubt  he  would  pitch  his  book  on  one  side,  and  send  for  a 
practising  physician.  The  fact  that  the  man  who  is  his  own 
attorney  has  a  fool  for  a  client  has  passed  into  a  proverb ; 
and  this  is  another  instance  of  worthlessness  of  book-learn- 
ing, taken  by  itself. 

Yet  books  are  very  necessary  for  the  making  of  doctors 
and  instruction  of  lawyers ;  and  so,  when  I  say  that  the  work 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  GF  AMERICA.  39 

I  arn  going  to  produce  is  only  calculated  to  be  useful  when 
used  as  a  stepping-stone  to  experience,  I  do  not  really  under- 
value it,  as  some  may  think.  Besides,  I  intend  to  make  it 
interesting  to  the  general  reader,  as  well  as  to  him  who  is 
in  quest  of  the  rules  and  maxims  of  the  trainer's  art.  I 
also  wish  it  to  be  understood  at  the  outset,  that  very  many 
clever  horsemen  will  differ  with  me  in  regard  to  some  of  the 
things  I  shall  lay  down  as  proper  to  be  pursued.  I  know  it 
will  be  very  often  said  by  some  of  my  associates  of  years 
gone  by,  as  they  read  these  pages,  " e  Old  Blocks }  is  wrong 
in  regard  to  so-and-so ; "  but  I  can  assure  the  reader  that  I 
shall  recommend  nothing  but  what  I  have  tried,  and  in  a 
measure  proved  myself. 

It  is 'more  than  thirty  years  since  I  began  to  handle  trot- 
ting-horses,  and  more  than  five-and-twenty  since  I  had 
charge  of  Dutchman,  the  best,  take  him  for  all  in  all,  of  the 
old-time  trotters.  Some  things  are  done  differently  now  from 
what  they  were  then;  yet  there  has  not  been  any  great 
change  in  the  method  we  then  pursued,  nor  has  there  been, 
in  my  opinion,  as  much  change  and  improvement  in  bur 
horses  as  some  imagine.  It  is  true  that  there  are  more  fast 
trotters  now  than  there  ever  were  before,  that  the  best  time 
has  been  much  cut  down  of  late  years,  and  that  the  driving 
on  the  road  is  a  deal  more  rapid  now  than  it  was  then.  But 
then  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  tracks  are  now  much 
better  o*rdered  than  they  were  in  former  times,  that  the 
vehicles  for  trotting  have  been  much  lightened  and  improved, 
and  that  a  corresponding  improvement  in  roads  and  road- 
wagons  has  taken  place.  Besides,  there  are  hundreds  of 
horses  trained  nowadays  to  one  that  was  handled  by  a  really 
competent  man  then ;  and  thus  a  greater  amount  of  speed 
is  developed  in  the  multitude.  And  though  it  is  not  alto- 
gether clear  why  it  should  be  so,  there  is  no  doubt  in  my 
mind  about  this,  viz.,  that,  as  the  excellence  of  the  multitude 
increases,  the  excellence  of  the  best  among  them  will  reach 
a  higher  standard.  Except  in  exceptional  cases,  it  is  easier 


40  THE  TROTTlNG-IlOnSE  OF  AMERICA. 

to  be  the  best  among  a  few  than  the  best  among  many ;  for 
the  reason  that  among  the  many  the  mark  necessary  to  be 
attained  will  generally  be  higher  and  more  difficult.  The 
improvement  in  the  time  of  our  trotters  is,  then,  to  be  laid 
to  the  account  of  several  causes ;  which  include  improvement 
in  courses,  vehicles,  methods  of  training,  style  of  driving, 
and  in  the  trotting-horse  himself. 

The  system  of  teaching,  training,  driving,  and  riding  the 
trotting-horse  of  this  country  has  long  been  an  art  of  itself, 
quite  different,  as  far  as  I  have  heard,  from  that  pursued  in 
other  countries.  I  look  upon  the  English  as  a  nation  of 
horsemen,  and  their  success  with  hunters  and  racers  has 
been  very  great :  but,  ever  since  I  can  remember,  we  have 
been  as  much  superior  to  them  in  handling  the  fast  trotter 
as  we  are  now.  When  Rattler  was  taken  over  there,  twen- 
ty-five years  ago,  the  gentleman  who  had  the  horse  took 
good  care  to  take  William  Whelan  along  to  steer  him ;  and, 
when  the  party  got  above  themselves,  and  challenged  the 
world,  it  was  not  resolved  to  buy  Dutchman,  and  carry  him 
across  the  water  to  clip  their  combs,  until,  after  much  press- 
ing, I  had  agreed  to  go,  too,  to  drive  him.  A  difference  of 
only  three  hundred  dollars  in  the  price  of  Dutchman  pre- 
vented our  voyage  to  England.  The  gentleman  —  he  was 
English,  but  had  lived  some  years  in  this  country  —  offered 
twenty-seven  hundred  dollars,  and  a  black  mare  I  then  had 
in  charge,  for  the  horse.  The  Philadelphia  party  wanted 
three  thousand  dollars  and  the  black  mare ;  and  so  the  deal 
fell  through.  If  it  had  been  consummated,  the  challengers 
in  England,  with  Whelan  and  E-attler,  would  soon  have 
found  Woodruff  and  the  Dutchman  in  the  little  island,  come 
to  take  it  up.  So  there  we  should  have  been,  —  a  real 
American  party, — disputing  across  the  Atlantic,  in  the 
land  of  our  ancestors,  for  pre-eminence  in  the  sport  our  own 
country  had  already  exalted  and  dignified  at  home.  The 
handling  of  the  English  trotting-horses  at  that  time  was  as 
much  inferior  to  the  American  system  as  their  horses  were 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  41 

to  ours ;  and,  though  I  say  it  myself,  who  belong  to  the  pro- 
fession, it  is  not  unfit  to  be  said,  that  the  American  system 
of  breaking,  training,  and  driving,  has  mainly  made  our 
trotters  what  they  are.  The  English  had  the  stock  all  along, 
just  as  much  as  we  had ;  and  it  is  our  method  of  cultivation 
and  perseverance  that  has  made  the  difference  between  their 
fast  trotter  of  a  mile  in  three  minutes  and  ours  of  two 
minutes  and  twenty-five  seconds,  or  thereabouts. 

According  to  the  best  information  at  my  command  now, 
I  find  that  a  three-minute  trotter  in  England  is  about  as 
scarce  an  article  as  a  two-thirty  horse  is  here.  This  is  the 
result  of  our  method  of  breeding,  training,  and  driving  the 
trotting-horse  in  this  country,  aided  by  the  enterprise  and 
ingenuity  which  provide  vehicles,  harness,  and  all  the  para- 
phernalia of  that  combination  of  lightness  with  strength 
which  is  upon  the  plan  of  the  best  trotting-horse  himself. 
It  is,  however,  only  fair  to  observe,  that  the  English  have 
had  some  rules  in  their  match-trotting  which  probably  acted 
as  a  hinderance  to  the  making  of  the  best  time  of  which  their 
horses  were  capable.  The  penalty  of  a  break  was  such  that 
the  rider  or  driver  would  be  afraid  to  push  his  horse  up  to 
the  top  of  his  speed.  If  it  was  a  harness  or  wagon  race,  the 
driver  was  compelled  to  pull  up,  and  back  the  wheels  when 
his  horse  broke.  Ever  so  little  backing  of  the  wheels  would 
do ;  but  he  was  compelled  to  back  them  some.  If  it  was 
under  saddle,  the  rider  had  to  turn  his  horse  round  when 
he  broke.  These  rules  must  have  been  detrimental  to  tli3 
making  of  fast  time,  though  as  fair  for  one  as  another  of  the 
parties  engaged  in  the  match.  Our  American  rule  on  this 
subject  favors  speed ;  and  some  think,  indeed,  that,  as  often 
administered,  it  favors  breaking  and  running,  to  the  disad- 
vantage of  the  steady,  honest  horse  that  keeps  to  his  gait, 
and  wins,  if  he  wins  at  all,  by  trotting. 

Our  law  on  this  point  is  good  enough,  however,  provided 
it  is  lawfully  administered;  and  it  does  not  operate  as  a 
check  to  the  drive?  in  obtaining  the  best  speed  of  which  his 


42  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

horse  is  capable.  I  do  not  myself  admire  those  horses 
which  are  more  relied  upon  to  win  for  aptness  in  breaking 
and  running  a  little  when  in  a  tight  place,  than  for  down- 
right, speed  and  bottom  at  a  fair  trot;  but,  as  I  have  said  to 
gentlemen  who  have  complained  that  such  was -the  case, 
the  remedy  is  sufficient,  if  the  judges  will  fearlessly  apply 
it.  If  the  judges  did  this,  we  should  soon  hear  no  more 
about  drivers  "  learning  horses  to  break."  I  think  that  the 
pride  of  our  art  in  training  and  driving  is  to  teach  them  to 
maintain  their  trot,  and  not  to  break.  If  the  horse  may 
break  and  run,  I  can  easily  see  how  it  may  be  beneficial  to 
teach  him  to  break ;  but  if,  when  he  breaks,  he  is  to  be  im- 
mediately pulled  to  a  trot,  or  pulled  up,  I  think  it  will  be 
better  to  teach  him  not  to  break. 

My  remarks  in  this  chapter  are  merely  prefatory,  as  will 
be  seen.  Indeed,  we  must  jog  along  gently  with  this  matter 
until  we  have  got  through  certain  preliminary  work,  and  put 
the  fast  trotter  into  regular  training.  I  purpose,  then,  to 
take  a  firm  hold  of  the  reins,  and  increase  the  speed  until 
the  parties  interested  in  the  performance  think  that  wre  are 
going  along  fast  enough,  and  can  stay  the  distance,  even 
though  it  be  three-mile  heats.  It  must,  however,  never  be 
lost  sight  of  by  the  reader,  in  the  course  of  this  work,  that 
I  am  a  practical  man,  one  mainly  governed  by  the  teach- 
ings of  experience,  and  therefore  not  inclined  to  the  laying- 
down  of  mere  theories  in  regard  to  the  training  and  general 
treatment  of  horses.  If  I  had  had  less  to  do  with  them  for 
nearly  forty  years,  I  might  be  more  positive  in  my  asser- 
tions than  I  now  intend  to  be.  Between  the  outward  forms 
of  such  trotters  as  Dutchman,  and  Peerless,  or  Flora  Tem- 
ple, there  is  a  vast  difference ;  and  between  these  types, 
more  or  less  nearly  approaching  the  one  or  the  other,  the 
variety  of  form  is  immense.  I  have  been  led  to  believe 
that  the  constitutional  differences,  including  temper,  dispo- 
sition, and  that  intangible  but  very  potent  quality  called 
pluck,  are  as  numerous  as  the  varieties  of  form.  Now,  in 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  43 

tlie  management  and  training  of  the  horse,  the  general 
rules  which  are  applicable  in  nearly  all  cases  must  be  re- 
laxed, or  stringently  followed,  according  to  the  constitu- 
tion, disposition,  and  capacity  of  the  individual  horse  in 
hand.  It  would  be  easy  enough  for  me  to  say,  "  Give  the 
horse  in  training  plenty  of  work,  but  not  too  much."  The 
advice  would  be  good,  though  general.  The  trouble  would 
be  in  finding  out  how  much  was  plenty  and  not  too  much. 
Here  the  judgment  and  experience  of  the  man  in  charge 
would  have  to  be  carefully  exercised ;  and  if,  by  perusing 
this  work  as  it  progresses,  the  reader  can  master  some  of 
my  experience,  and  make  it  his  own,  I  shall  be  satisfied. 


II. 


Handling  of  the  Colt.  —  The  Trot  a  Natural  Gait.  —  Great  Speed  the  Result 
of  Long  Handling.  —  Method  for  the  Colt.  —  Moderation  best  in  Feeding.  — 
Early  Maturity  followed  by  Early  Decay.  —  The  Trotter  should  live 
Many  Years.  —  Feeding  of  Weanlings.  —  No  Physic  unless  the  Colt  is 
Sick.  —  Feeding  of  the  Yearling.  —  The  Starving  System  worse  than 
High  Feeding. 


training  of  the  trotting-horse  is  really  to  be  com- 
JL  menced  from  the  time  he  is  handled  when  a  colt  ;  for  it 
is  not  simply  the  putting  of  him  in  such  bodily  condition  as 
may  enable  him  to  exert  all  his  powers,  but  also  the  careful 
and  continued  cultivation  of  his  gifts  as  a  trotter.  What- 
ever encourages  his  tendency  to  make  the  trot  his  best  way 
of  going,  is  a  part  of  his  training  ;  and  therefore  the  natural 
disposition  to  trot  must  be  improved  from  the  very  first.  I 
have  heard  it  said  by  some  that  there  is  no  natural  disposi- 
tion in  a  horse  to  trot,  or  rather  was  none  until  men  had 
handled  him,  and  induced  him  to  use  that  mode  of  action.  It 
is  a  very  common  notion  that  the  horse  has  but  two  natural 
paces,  —  the  walk  and  the  gallop,  —  and  that  trotting  is  wholly 
artificial.  I  have  seen  this  set  down  in  some  books,  but  I 
venture  to  deny  it.  My  conviction  is,  that  the  trot  is  natu- 
ral to  the  horse  ;  and  I  feel  bound  to  give  some  reasons  for 
my  belief.  In  the  first  place,  then,  I  ask  whether  a  colfc 
can  now  be  found  any  where  that  does  not  trot  sometimes, 
and  that  when  he  is  by  the  side  of  his  dam,  before  ever  the 
hand  of  a  man  has  been  laid  upon  him  ?  If  it  is  said  that 
this  results  from  the  long  domestication  of  his  ancestors, 
my  reply  will  be,  that  it  happens  among  the  produce  of 
horses  whose  ancestors  for  more  than  a  century  —  ay,  for 
44 


THE  TROTTING-HOItSE  OF  AMERICA  45 

more  than  two  —  have  never  been  used  for  trotting  pur- 
poses, and  never  were  taught  to  trot  at  all,  if  it  is  true  that 
the  Arabs  of  the  Desert  only  use  their  horses  at  the  two  so- 
called  natural  paces, —  the  walk  and  the  gallop.  Besides, 
although  I  have  never  been  in  foreign  parts  myself,  I  have 
been  informed  by  gentlemen  of  observation  and  credit, 
whose  means  of  noticing  this  point  have  been  wider  if  nob 
greater  than  my  own,  that  wild  horses  trot  when  moving 
about  at  ease,  or  at  play,  or  coming  towards  an  object.  It 
is  true,  that,  if  they  are  at  all  alarmed,  they  immediately 
strike  into  a  gallop ;  but  this  only  shows  that  the  gallop  is 
the  best  natural  pace  for  speed,  and  not  that  the  trot  is  no 
natural  pace.  I  am  also  informed  that  other  wild  animals 
of  desert  places,  such  as  wild  asses,  zebras,  quaggas,  and 
the  like,  sometimes  trot ;  and,  if  I  had  not  been  told  so,  I 
should  have  inferred  it  from  the  fact  that  almost  every  ani- 
mal that  goes  on  four  legs,  whether  domesticated  among  us 
or  wild  in  our  country,  trots  at  times.  Deer  trot  in  the 
woods :  I  have  seen  them  do  it.  The  largest  and  noblest 
of  our  native  animals  is  the  elk,  and  he  is  a  trotter. 

If  any  of  my  readers,  when  riding  in  the  Central  Park, 
will  take  occasion  to  observe  the  elk  that  was  sent  to  Mr. 
Wilkes  from  St.  Louis  for  that  institution,  I  will  bet  a  trifle 
that  they  will  see  her  trot,  and  go  a  pretty  good  trot,  too, 
if  she  is  put  up  to  her  best  pace.  Away,  then,  with  the 
notion  that  the  trot  is  wholly  an  artificial  gait.  If  it  were, 
I  think  the  attempt  to  breed  trotters  would  have  been  a 
failure ;  whereas,  everybody  knows  that  it  has  been  success- 
ful. There  is,  however,  a  mixture  of  truth  in  the  assertion 
that  the  trot  is  an  artificial  gait.  It  is  not  the  readiest  way 
for  the  horse  to  go  at  speed.  A  very  poor  running-horse  — 
I  mean  a  turf-horse  —  could  distance  the  best  trotter  that 
ever  was  started ;  and  the  best  trotters  never  reach  their 
best  speed  until  they  have  undergone  a  good  deal  of  hand- 
ling and  cultivation.  This  handling,  from  the  very  first 
day  that  the  colt  begins  to  eat,  should  be  very  different,  in 


46  TUE  TROTTING  HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

my  judgment,  from  the  method  I  have  seen  the  best  breed- 
ers and  trainers  of  thoroughbred  runners  adopt  with  their 
stock. 

Now,  to  begin  with  the  colt.  Just  as  soon  as  the  mare 
is  quiet  while  you  are  doing  so,  you  may  handle  the  colt. 
Do  it  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  him  tractable  and  kind. 
Speak  softly  to  him,  encourage  him  to  come  up  and  smell 
of  your  hand ;  and,  when  you  touch  him,  do  so  gently  and 
soothingly.  From  the  first  week  of  the  horse's  life  until 
the  last,  you  will  find  that  he  will  be  inclined  to  do  what 
you  require  of  him,  provided  you  can  make  him  understand 
what  it  is.  Some  men  that  have  hold  of  horses  apparently 
don't  know  themselves,  and  therefore  it  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at  that  the  horse  don't.  Just  as  soon  as  you  get 
familiar  with  the  colt,  which  will  be  very  soon  if  you  com- 
mence while  he  is  very  young,  rub  his  head  occasionally,  pat 
him,  and  sometimes  pick  up  one  of  his  legs.  Do  it  gently ; 
and  by  so  doing  you  will  teach  him  to  let  it  be  done  quietly 
when  the  time  comes  at  which  it  must  be  done  somehow. 
It  is  understood,  of  course,  that  the  mare  and  colt  have 
shelter  at  night,  and  run  out  during  the  day,  —  on  fine  days, 
at  any  rate.  Now,  if  the  young  one  is  never  touched  until 
you  want  to  take  hold  of  him  for  some  needful  purpose,  you 
will  find  that  he  has  become  wild,  and  will  try  to  break 
things  before  you  can  manage  him. 

The  breeders  of  race-horses  understand  this  very  well, 
and  they  commonly  take  great  pains  with  their  colts.  But 
as  to  early  feeding,  their  method  is  one  which  I  advise  the 
breeders  of  trotters  not  to  follow.  It  is,  that  as  soon  as  the 
colt  will  eat  bruised  oats,  which  will  be  at  less  than  two 
months  old,  he  is  to  have  all  that  he  can  consume.  Nay,  I 
find  that  one  gentleman,  and  one  of  a  great  deal  of  ability, 
too,  in  that  line,  advises  to  begin  with  giving  him  oatmeal 
in  gruel  before  he  can  eat  the  bruised  oats.  This  is  to  be 
followed  up  with  four  quarts  or  more  of  oats  a  day,  when  he 
is  weaned,  besides  the  pasturage.  I  say  to  the  reader  of 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  47 

this,  do  no  such  thing  with  the  colt  that  is  to  be  a  trotter,  — 
or,  rather,  do  it  with  great  moderation.  Never  mind  oat- 
meal gruel ;  never  mind  bruised  oats  while  he  is  with  his 
dam.  The  milk  of  the  mare,  she  being  kept  in  good  heart, 
and  the  grass,  will  afford  her  colt  all  the  nourishment  he 
needs,  and  ought  to  have.  This  is  Nature's  plan :  the  other 
is  the  "forcing  system,"  and  ever  so  much  more  artificial 
than  the  trotting-gait.  I  do  not  undertake  to  disparage  the 
method  pursued  by  the  race-horse  men,  so  far  as  it  only 
concerns  their  own  purposes.  That  purpose  I  take  to  be 
early  maturity ;  and  I  am  convinced  that  very  early  maturity 
will  not  be  advisable  in  the  case  of  the  fast  trotter.  Early 
maturity  means  early  decay,  in  nineteen  cases  out  of  every 
twenty. 

Now,  in  order  that  a  horse  may  become  a  first-rate  trot- 
ter, it  is  necessary  that  he  should  -  last  a  good  while.  He 
won't  jump  up  to  his  greatest  excellence  at  three  years  old, 
or  at  six  either,  if  his  excellence  is  going  to  be  very 
great;  but  will  probably  be  improving  most  when  the 
thoroughbred  horse  of  the  same  year  has  been  long  gone 
from  the  turf.  I  don't  know  of  a  single  thing  in  nature 
that  comes  to  maturity  early  and  lasts  long.  This  system, 
then,  is  not  calculated  for  the  trotter ;  because  to  be  great 
it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  he  should  last  long.  The 
case  is  different  as  regards  the  running-horse ;  for  his  career 
may  be  brief,  and  yet  very  brilliant.  It  is  to  be  considered, 
too,  that  the  constitution  of  the  colts  is  different.  The 
thoroughbred  horse  is  naturally  inclined  to  mature  at  an 
earlier  period  than  any  other,  I  think ;  and  it  is  certain, 
that,  being  of  a  leaner  and  more  wiry  build,  he  may  stand 
high  feeding  at  an  earlier  period  than  the  half-bred  trotter. 

And  besides  all  this,  I  have  other  reasons  against  giving 
young  colts  much  grain.  The  physiologists  all  agree,  that, 
in  order  to  thrive,  the  horse,  young  or  old,  must  not  only 
have  his  stomach  supplied  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
nutritious  food,  but  also  with  enough  matter  not  so  highly 


48  THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA. 

nutritious  to  distend  it.  A  horse  or  a  colt  fed  only  on  the 
substances  which  go  to  make  up  his  substance  would  starve, 
though  you  gave  them  to  him  in  the  greatest  abundance. 
Why  this  is  they  do  not  know,  and  I  am  sure  I  don't ;  but 
it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  a  reason  for  not  cloying  the  young 
animal  with  all  the  highly-nutritious  food  he  will  eat.  If 
his  appetite  is  satisfied  with  oats,  he  will  not  be  likely  to 
eat  the  grass  and  hay  that  nature  requires.  There  is 
another  thing  on  this  point  which  has  occurred  to  me,  but  I 
only  throw  it  out  as  a  suggestion.  While  the  animal  is 
young,  a  good  distension  of  the  stomach  is  calculated  to 
produce  that  roundness  of  rib  which  we  see  in  so  many  of 
our  best  horses.  Now,  this  capacity  of  the  carcass,  if  it 
proceeds  in  part  from  proper  distension  of  the  stomach, —  and 
by  that  I  do  not  mean  the  paunch, —  is  not  going  to  be 
obtained  by  the  feeding  of  food  in  the  concentrated  shape. 
Bulk  is  required ;  and  the  pulp  and  essence  need  not  be 
given  in  large  quantity  until  the  organization  is  formed, 
and  extraordinary  exertion  is  required  of  the  horse. 

When  the  colt  is  weaned,  I  should  give  him  from  three 
pints  to  two  quarts  of  grain  a  day.  The  quantity  may  be 
varied  according  to  his  size ;  for,  if  he  gives  indications  of 
a  large  frame  and  loose  habit,  he  will  require  more  than  a 
compact  colt,  who  keeps  in  good  order,  and  fills  out  with 
substance  as  he  grows  up.  The  pasturage  is  still  the  main 
thing;  and,  if  that  is  good,  two  quarts  of  grain  will  be 
much  better  than  more  of  the  latter,  and  little  or  nothing 
to  be  picked  up  on  the  bare  herbage.  With  proper  care 
and  attention,  a  good  bite  of  grass  may  be  secured  for  the 
colts  until  very  late  in  the  fall ;  and  they  should  have  all 
the  hay  they  will  eat  when  it  begins  to  fail.  The  grain 
should  be  oats  of  good  quality.  I  do  not  like  to  let  colts 
have  corn  at  all  when  young ;  and  even  to  old  horses  I 
think  it  should  be  fed  very  sparingly.  In  the  winter  of  the 
first  year,  the  colt  must  have  a  good  place  to  run  in,  and  be 
well  housed  at  night,  and  regularly  fed  and  watered.  It 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  49 

must  be  understood,  from  what  I  have  said  above,  that  he 
is  never  to  be  turned  out  to  take  his  chance  among  a  lot  of 
promiscuous  stock,  old  horses,  cows,  calves,  heifers,  and 
what-not.  If  he  is,  you  may  look  for  a  wretched  young 
thing,  standing  shivering  on  the  hillside,  and  hardly  able  to 
put  one  leg  before  the  other,  instead  of  the  gay  and  frisky 
colt  that  you  had  when  he  nibbled  the  growing  grass  by  the 
side  of  his  dam.  All  along,  from  the  time  of  his  weaning, 
it  will  do  good,  and  can  do  no  harm,  to  give  him  a  nice, 
warm  mash,  with  a  few  oats  mixed  through  it,  now  and  then. 
It  does  the  whole  system  of  the  alimentary  canal  good,  im- 
proves the  digestion,  and  increases  the  nutrition.  There 
need  be  no  fear  of  its  scouring  the  colt ;  and,  in  cases  of 
scouring,  I  have  very  often  found  that  it  cured  it.  Give 
the  colt  no  physic  unless  you  are  sure  that  there  is  something 
the  matter  with  him.  Physic  is  to  cure  sickness.  Its  pre- 
vention belongs  to  diet,  careful  observation,  and  general 
treatment. 

When  the  colt  is  a  yearling,  his  allowance  of  oats  may  be 
increased  to  four  quarts  a  day.  His  other  food  must  be 
good  and  abundant ;  and  that  is  to  be  the  main-stay.  My 
principle  is  to  give  oats  sparingly  until  the  time  comes  to 
put  the  horse  to  some  work ;  and  I  think  it  will  commonly 
result  in  this :  that  the  horse  will  have  all  the  size  that  in 
the  order  of  nature  he  should  have  had,  and  be  of  a  much 
hardier,  healthier,  and  more  enduring  constitution  than  he 
would  have  been  if  he  had  been  forced  along  rapidly  by 
means  of  all  the  highly-stimulating  food  that  he  could  be 
got  to  consume.  It  will  take  longer  to  mature  him  by  feed- 
ing oo-ly  moderately  of  grain  at  this  early  period,  but  he  is 
meant  to  last  longer ;  and  I  repeat  that  early  maturity  is 
not  favorable  to  long  endurance.  By  the  other  method, 
you  may  show  me  a  colt  at  two  years  old  that  looks  more 
like  a  horse  than  mine  will  at  three ;  and  at  three  more  like 
a  grand  horse  than  mine  will  at  five.  B»t  now  I  shall 
begin  to  overtake  you.  When  yours  is  five  or  six,  be  is  at 


50  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

his  very  best,  perhaps  past  liis  best.  Put  them  together  at 
eight,  and  I  have  got  by  far  the  best  and  most  useful  horse. 
At  ten,,  you  have  probably  got  no  horse  at  all  worth  men- 
tioning :  while  mine  is  now  "  all  horse/7  and  in  his  true 
prime. 

If  anybody  thinks  to  follow  the  old  starving,  corn-stalk 
fodder,  fed-in-the-snow  system,  under  cover  of  what  I  have 
said  on  this  subject,  he  must  go  to  the  devil  his  own  road. 
My  system  is  one  of  generous  feeding,  but  not  of  stuffing  a 
young  colt  with  all  the  highly-stimulating  food  he  can  pos- 
sibly be  got  to  swallow.  Above  all,  avoid  Indian  corn  in  all 
shapes  for  young  colts,  and  take  care  that  they  have  plenty  of 
pure  water.  If  there  is  not  a  running-stream  in  the  pasture 
where  they  are  kept,  be  sure  that  they  are  watered  at  least 
three  times  a  day,  and  that  they  have  all  they  want. 

We  shall  next  come  to  the  regular  breaking,  harnessing, 
and  driving  of  the  young  colt  in  his  two-year-old  stage, 
which  is  z£  very  great  importance  to  his  after  character. 


III. 


Feeding  of  the  Two-Year-Old.—  Mouthing  and  Bitting.  —  Lounglr  g.  —  Tem- 
per.—Leading  on  the  Road.  —  Much  Walking  to  be  avoided.  — When 
harnessed,  a  Wagon  better  than  a  Sulky.  —  Amount  of  Work  to  depend 
on  Constitution  and  Condition.  —  Remedy  for  Broken  Gait.  —  Pulling  to 
be  avoided.  —  Increase  of  Feed. 

IN  the  two-year-old,  in  spring,  the  grain  is  to  be  increased 
to  five,  or  even  six  quarts,  of  good  oats  a  day ;  and  now 
the  colt  is  to  he  mouthed  and  bitted.  He  should  have  a 
good  loose  box,  with  an  outside  lot  attached.  It  is  unne- 
cessary to  describe  the  processes  of  mouthing,  bitting,  and 
lounging.  The  latter  must  not  be  continued  long  at  a  time. 
Half  an  hour  will  be  enough ;  but,  if  he  takes  it  well  and 
steps  off  gayly,  you  may  keep  him  moving  a  little  longer. 
He  must  be  lounged  round  both  ways,  changing  the  direc- 
tion from  time  to  time ;  for  so  giddiness  will  be  prevented, 
and  the  bit  brought  alternately  to  both  sides  of  the  mouth. 
Great  care  must  be  taken  not  to  overdo  the  thing  at  this 
time  j  for,  when  the  colt  gets  fatigued  and  worried,  his  tem- 
per begins  to  suffer  as  well  as  his  condition.  It  would  be 
easy  to  repair  the  latter,  but  the  mischief  done  to  the 
former  in  early  life  can  seldom  be  repaired.  I  am  convinced 
that  nine  out  of  ten  of  the  horses  we  find  mischievously  dis- 
posed, or  even  positively  vicious  and  treacherous,  are  so  by 
reason  of  having  been  improperly  handled  when  young. 
There  was  Dutchman  —  he  was  not  a  sulky  horse  nor  vi- 
cious by  nature.  You  could  get  him  to  do  his  best  when- 
ever you  called  for  it  on  the  course  or  the  road,  but  in 
the  stable,  look  out !  He  wanted  a  great  deal  of  watching. 
If  a  man  attempted  to  put  his  harness  on  or  take  it  off, 

61 


52  TIIE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

without  tying  him  up,  he  was  lucky  to  get  away  with  the 
loss  of  most  of  his  clothes.  Dutchman  would  take  hold  like 
a  bull-terrier,  and  shake  till  his  hold  came  away.  He  was 
also  a  kicker.  In  ordinary  cases,  I  would  not  give  much 
for  a  horse  of  this  temper  for  the  performance  of  any  thing 
very  great  upon  the  course ;  but  like  Flying  Childers  and 
English  Eclipse,  both  of  whom,  I  am  told,  were  ill-tem- 
pered, and  ill-formed  in  some  points,  Dutchman  was  "a 
horse  above  ordinances." 

In  handling  the  two-year-old  trotter,  then,  the  utmost 
care,  as  well  as  gentleness  and  firmness,  should  be  exer- 
cised. In  former  times,  it  was  not  customary  to  handle 
colts  until  they  were  five  years  old ;  but  experience  has  since 
shown  that  they  can  very  well  be  broken  at  two  years  old, 
and  can  be  got  to  trot  at  three.  The  matter  depends  not 
upon  the  doing,  but  upon  the  manner  of  its  doing.  If  the 
breaker  or  owner  finds  that  the  young  thing  can  trot  a  lit- 
tle, and  is  always  hankering  to  see  him  "  do  it  again,"  or 
do  a  little  better,  he  will  soon  have  one  that  can't  and  won't 
do  any  thing  worth  his  or  anybody  else's  seeing.  Progress, 
to  be  good  and  safe,  must  be  gradual,  but  it  should  be  con- 
tinual. There  is  no  sense  at  all  in  working  a  colt  along  so 
that  he  can  trot  well  at  three  or  four  years  old,  and  then 
turning  him  out  until  he  is  five  or  six.  He  should  be  kept 
at  it  gently,  so  as  to  hold  fast  all  he  knows  at  least ;  and 
this  he  is  sure  to  do  if  not  forced  off  his  legs. 

When  the  colt  has  been  mouthed,  bitted,  and  lounged  in 
the  lot,  he  will  be  led  out  upon  the  roads,  and  thus  accus- 
tomed to  meet  and  pass  vehicles,  horsemen,  cattle,  and  the 
like.  He  is  then  to  be  broken  to  the  saddle ;  during  which 
process  he  should  be  ridden  about  the  country  roads,  and 
not  kept  out  so  long  at  a  time  as  to  become  leg-weary.  The 
weight  upon  his  back  must  be  remembered ;  and  the  rider 
should  often  ease  him  by  dismounting,  and  leading  him.  A 
great  deal  less  walking  is  now  given  to  horses  of  all  ages 
than  was  formerly  the  case.  When  I  was  a  boy,  and  riding 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  53 

for  iny  uncle,  an  immense  deal  of  walking  exercise  was 
thought  to  be  beneficial.  I  used  to  ride  horses  as  much  a? 
twenty  miles  a  day,  at  a  walk ;  and  it  was  deemed  needful 
to  do  this  all  along  during  their  preparation.  I  have  long 
seen  the  fallacy  of  that,  and  discontinued  it.  The  old  no- 
tion was,  that  it  improved  the  horse's  bottom  j  but  I  am  sat- 
isfied that  the  usual  effect  was  to  make  him  leg-weary,  to 
dog  the  heart  out  of  him  with  this  monotonous,  tread-mill 
sort  of  work,  and  so  take  away  his  speed.  He  might  go  a 
distance  then,  in  the  race,  because  he  went  comparatively 
slow.  It  must  always  be  remembered  that  a  slow  horse 
can  keep  at  his  best  pace  longer  than  a  fast  horse  can  at 
his,  though  in  condition,  bottom,  and  game  they  be  equal. 
In  training  horses  now,  I  usually  walk  them  but  once  a 
day,  and  then  only  for  a  comparatively  short  distance. 

When  the  colt  is  broken  to  the  saddle,  his  work  in  har- 
ness is  to  be  commenced.  It  should  be  to  a  skeleton  wag- 
on, not  to  a  sulky ;  for  the  reason  that,  with  the  four  wheels 
to  the  former  vehicle,  the  weight  will  be  kept  off  his  back. 
Many  use  the  sulky,  but  I  am  satisfied  that  the  wagon  is 
best.  There  will  be  no  difficulty  in  getting  the  colt  to 
draw  if  he  has  been  handled  rightly  up  to  this  time.  Our 
system  in  this  is  radically  different  from  that  of  the  Eng- 
lish, as  I  am  informed.  Instead  of  putting  the  colt  into 
the  shafts  of  a  single  vehicle,  and  coaxing  him  to  go  off 
nicely  with  it,  by  which  means,  when  he  starts,  he  feels 
that  he  is  doing  something,  and  soon  becomes  satisfied  and 
likes  it,  the  English  begin  his  harness-work  by  putting  him 
into  a  double-break  wagon,  which  weighs  about  half  a  ton, 
by  the  side  of  an  old  horse.  When  the  colt  is  at  home  be- 
tween the  shafts,  begin  to  drive  him  moderately.  Take 
him  sometimes  on  the  track,  and  at  other  times  on  the  road. 
Don't  keep  him  dogging  along  at  the  same  rate,  but  give 
him  lively  spurts  now  and  then.  By  this  means  he  will 
extend  himself  without  hurting  himself,  and  will  improve 
in  speed.  As  long  as  he  does  this,  you  are  doing  right,  and 


64  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

he  is  doing  well.  As  soon  as  lie  seems  to  get  tired  of  it, 
and  appears  to  be  either  restive  or  sluggish,  let  him  up  a 
little.  You  must  watch  for  these  symptoms  carefully ;  for 
this  is  a  critical  time.  If  you  overdo  him  much  now,  it 
will  be  a  long  while  before  he  is  himself  again. 

The  work  must  be  according  to  his  constitution,  to  the 
rate  of  his  growth,  and  to  his  heartiness  of  feeding.  This 
jogging  will  probably  be  about  five  or  six  miles  a  day,  and 
the  spurts  not  above  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  He  must  be  care- 
fully watched  to  ascertain  whether  he  improves  or  not.  If 
not,  he  is  to  be  let  up  a  bit ;  for  his  improvement  at  this 
age  ought  to  go  on  all  the  time,  and  will  if  he  is  all  right. 
Rapid  improvement,  however,  must  not  be  expected :  ever 
so  little  will  do,  but  it  ought  not  to  stop  altogether.  At 
this  time,  you  will  often  see  him  break  his  gait ;  and  this  is 
an  indication  that  he  has  had  too  much  work  for  his  age, 
and  has  got  sore  on  it.  But  it  may  not  arise  altogether 
from  overwork ;  therefore,  put  the  rollers  on,  and  work  him 
gently,  changing  them  from  leg  to  leg  as  required.  The 
colt  now  finds  something  on  his  legs,  besides  the  boots,  which 
was  not  there  before ;  and  it  will  alter  his  way  of  going.  He 
must  be  nicely  handled  now.  You  must  use  all  your  obser- 
vations and  best  judgment,  with  a  light  but  firm  hold  of 
the  reins.  In  all  probability,  he  will  trot  square  again  with 
the  rollers  on ;  and,  as  soon  as  he  does  so,  let  him  up  for  a 
little  while.  When  the  broken  gait  shows,  he  must  not  on 
any  account  be  kept  on  without  a  change ;  for,  if  he  is,  it 
may  become  confirmed.  On  the  other  hand,  I  never  like  to 
let  them  up  until  I  have  got  them  to  trot  square  again ;  for, 
if  they  are  so  let  up,  they  may  not  trot  square  again  when 
their  work  is  resumed.  In  all  his  work,  the  colt  is  to  be 
taught  to  go  along  without  being  pulled  hard.  His  mouth 
may  be  easily  spoiled  for  life  by  teaching  him  to  tug  at  the 
bit  now ;  and  he  is  not  at  all  likely  to  make  a  fast  trotter, 
if  to  trot  he  must  always  have  his  weight  upon  the  driver's 
arms.  There  have  been  some  fast  trotters  and  stayers  that 


THE  TEOTTING-UORSE  OF  AMERICA.  55 

were  hard  pullers ;  but  they  would  have  been  better  horses 
but  for  that  fact.  Still,  it  is  to  be  remembered,  that,  when 
going  fast,  the  colt  or  horse  will  often  want  to  get  his  head 
down,  and  feel  the  bit  sensibly.  He  will  not,  in  nine  cases 
out  of  ten  (or  cannot,  which  comes  to  the  same  thing),  do 
his  best  without  it.  The  object  of  the  driver  should  then 
be  to  support  him  with  as  little  pull  as  possible,  but  still  to 
support  him.  The  horse  with  a  good  mouth  will  always 
feel  the  driver's  hand  j  and,  when  the  latter  is  as  skilful  as 
he  ought  to  be  for  the  handling  of  the  first-rate,  fast  trot- 
ter, he  may  play  upon  the  rein  with  a  touch  like  that  of  a 
harper  upon  the  strings,  and  the  horse  will  answer  every 
touch  with  the  music  of  the  feet  and  wheels. 

On  the  other  hand,  if,  when  the  colt  takes  hold  of  the  bit, 
the  driver  does  nothing  but  hold  on  like  grim  death  to  a 
dead  darkey,  it  soon  becomes  a  pulling-match  between  them ; 
and,  before  the  colt  is  of  age  to  trot  fast  and  stay  a  distance, 
his  pulling  has  become  a  vice  of  the  most  troublesome  and 
mischievous  description,  his  mouth  has  become  so  callous 
that  he  pulls  a  wagon  and  driver  along  by  the  reins  instead 
of  the  traces,  and,  by  the  dead  drag  between  him  and  the 
man  behind  him,  he  loses  a  great  deal  of  the  power  that  will 
be  wanted  to  sustain  him  when  the  pinch  comes.  It  is  not 
to  be  forgotten,  however,  that  many  trotting-horses  must  be 
pulled  considerably  to  get  them  to  trot  fast,  and  keep  trot- 
ting. When  this  is  the  case,  it  is  utterly  useless  to  expect 
to  get  rid  of  the  pull  and  preserve  the  trot  by  means  of  sub- 
stituting a  severe  bit  for  the  plain  snaffle.  It  will  not  do  at 
all ;  because  it  is  not  a  certain  amount  of  severity  on  the 
mouth  that  the  horse  wants,  but  a  sort  of  stay,  upon  which 
he  can  fling  himself  in  the  flying  trot,  and  without  which  he 
is  either  unable  or  unwilling  to  put  out  his  best  efforts. 

There  was  a  notable  instance  of  this  in  the  trotting-horse 
Alexander,  which  was  taken  to  England  many  years  ago, 
and  could  not  be  got  to  trot  a  bit  by  those  who  had  purchased 
him,  expecting  great  things.  Afterwards  Bill  Whelan  went 


56  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

over  with  Rattler ;  and  the  gentlemen  who  had  Alexant  ler 
no  sooner  saw  him  ride  the  former  against  the  Birmingham 
mare  than  they  got  him  to  go  and  look  at  Alexander. 
Whelan  found  the  horse  in  his  stable,  well  taken  care  of, 
and  in  fair  condition ;  so  that,  at  first,  he  was  at  a  loss  to 
know  why  he  would  not  trot.  However,  he  told  them  to 
throw  a  saddle  on  him,  and  let  him  take  a  little  jog  with 
him.  Forthwith,  the  groom  came  out  of  the  harness-room 
with  a  hridle  and  bridoon-bit;  whereupon  says  Whelan, 
"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  that  ?  " 

"Put  it  on  Alexander." 

"  No,  you  don't !  "  says  Whelan,  and  went  into  the  room 
to  look  out  a  hridle  and  hit  for  himself.  There  was,  he  says, 
a  tremendous  array  of  all  sorts  of  hits,  and  instruments  of 
torture,  that  had  been  got  together  "  to  hold  Alexander." 
He  managed,  however,  to  find  a  plain  snaffle,  and  put  that 
on  him.  Everybody  there  looked  at  him  as  if  he  was  a  luna- 
tic ;  but  Bill  jumped  into  the  saddle,  and  jogged  away  with 
Alexander.  He  coaxed  him,  and  clucked  to  him ;  and  by 
and  by  Alexander,  as  he  lengthened  his  stride  and  quick- 
ened his  action,  began  to  pull  upon  the  plain  snaffle.  But 
Whelan  was  something  of  a  puller  himself;  and,  instead  of 
his  pull  being  the  main  haul  of  strength  and  stupidity,  the 
hand  of  a  master  was  upon  the  bridle.  He  warmed  Alex- 
ander up  in  a  good  stretch,  and  then  brought  him  back  by 
the  starting-place  at  such  a  rate  as  amazed  the  Englishmen 
present. 

"  That's  the  way  we  ride  our  trotters  in  America,"  said 
Whelan.  "  Alexander  is  as  good  as  ever  he  was.  You  may 
match  him  against  any  thing  in  this  country  but  Battler  j 
and  I'll  engage  he  won't  lose  it,  if  I  ride  him." 

A  match  was  soon  made ;  and  the  American  horse  Alex- 
ander, ridden  by  Whelan,  won  it  with  ridiculous  ease.  I 
have  mentioned  this  for  the  purpose  of  impressing  upon  the 
reader  the  immense  importance  of  a  light,  firm,  sensational 
hold  upon  the  reins.  Mere  dragging  is  of  the"  utmost  mis- 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  57 

chief.  There  is  a  kind  of  magnetic  touch  which  the  horse 
no  sooner  feels  than  he  seems  inspirited  and  animated  with 
new  life ;  and  this  is  especially  the  case  when  he  is  a  little 
tired.  The  right  kind  of  touch  and  movement  of  the  reins 
and  bit  is  worth  more  in  an  emergency  than  all  the  whip- 
cord and  whalebone  in  the  world. 

As  the  training,  or  rather  breaking,  of  the  two-year-old 
goes  on,  and  his  growth  advances  with  the  season,  his  feed 
may  be  increased.  He  may  have  six  quarts  of  oats,  or  even 
eight,  if  he  is  large  and  a  good  worker,  with  as  much  good 
hay  as  he  will  eat  up  clean.  This,  however,  is  to  be  reduced 
when  there  is  occasion  to  stop  his  work  and  exercise ;  for 
instance,  when  he  has  been  let  up  after  having  been  going 
with  a  broken  gait.  He  ought  to  be  allowed  to  nibble  a  lit- 
tle fresh  grass  night  and  morning,  and  should  sometimes 
have  two  or  three  carrots  sliced  up  with  his  feed.  Some  will 
say,  "  When  he  has  been  let  up,  there  is  a  fine  chance  to 
physic  him : "  but  my  maxim  is,  that,  if  the  colt  is  in  good 
bodily  health,  and  the  operations  of  the  internal  organs  are 
going  on  right,  he  does  not  need  physic ;  and  there  is  no  use 
in  a  violent  interference  with  the  course  of  nature.  In  the 
morning,  before  the  colt  is  hitched  up  to  go  to  work,  give  a 
slight  feed,  —  say  a  quart  and  a  pint  of  oats,  —  and  let  him 
drink  about  two  quarts  of  water.  On  days  that  his  work  is 
not  to  be  done  early,  his  feed  in  the  morning  may  be  in- 
creased ;  but  its  quantity  should  be  regulated  by  the  hour  at 
which  he  will  be  driven.  At  night,  he  is  always  to  have  all 
the  water  he  wants.  His  temper  and  disposition  are  to  be 
carefully  watched,  and  so  are  those  of  the  lad  who  takes  care 
of  him.  The  boy  ought  to  have  a  pride  in,  and  an  affection 
for,  a  colt  in  his  charge ;  and,  if  he  has  not,  he  shall  not  be 
long  about  a  colt  of  mine.  A  lad  who  does  not  show  an 
active  liking  for  the  horse  he  looks  after  almost  always  neg- 
lects him ;  and,  wherever  I  detect  the  absence  of  this  feeling 
in  one  about  my  stables,  I  change  his  occupation,  or  send 
him  away  altogether.  But,  as  a  general  rule,  the  boys  are 


58  THE  TROTTING-UORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

very  fond  of  their  horses,  especially  of  colts  that  show  prom- 
ise ;  and,  in  these  cases,  it  is  more  likely  that  they  will  do 
harm  by  over-feeding  than  hy  neglect.  This  is  to  be  looked 
after ;  for,  though  the  amount  of  feed  be  measured  out  to 
each  lad,  I  have  known  many  that  will  be  always  watching 
slants  to  get  an  extra  quart  of  oats  for  their  colts,  or  will 
even  carry  ears  of  corn  about  in  their  pockets  to  shell  into 
the  manger.  See  that  the  colt  is  fed  as  you  wish  him  to  be, 
rather  than  as  the  boy  who  looks  after  him  wants  to  feed 
him. 


IV. 


Effects  of  Early  Development.  —  Colts  often  ovenvoiked.  —  Fast  Three-Year 
Olds  and  Four- Year  Olds.  —  Risk  of  hurting  Stamina.  —  Earlier  Maturity 
of  Running-Horses.  —  Evils  of  over-training  Colts. 

r  i  ^HE  question  as  to  whether  the  early  development  of 
_L  trotting-horses  will  have  a  tendency  to  impair  their 
endurance  in  point  of  time  is  one  of  great  interest  and  im- 
portance. Theoretically,  some  years  ago,  it  was  generally 
held  that  it  would  do  so ;  but  there  is  some  reason  to  believe 
that  this  was  a  mistake.  Still,  I  am  satisfied  that  unless 
the  work  is  given  in  a  limited  and  judicious  manner,  there 
will  be  very  great  danger  of  its  having  a  pernicious  effecb 
on  the  young  colt.  At  present,  we  have  hardly  seen  enough 
of  the  young  trotters  trained  at  three  and  four  years  old  to 
determine,  absolutely,  whether  the  practice  is  altogether 
prudent  or  otherwise.  A  great  deal  depends  upon  the  con- 
stitution and  development  of  the  colt  himself;  and  still 
more,  perhaps,  upon  the  sagacity  and  care  of  the  man  who 
has  him  in  charge.  In  many  cases  which  have  come  under 
my  observation,  young  things  have  been  overworked ;  and, 
when  it  was  found  that  they  began  to  hitch  and  hobble, 
a  good  let-up  would  do  more  to  restore  the  stroke  than 
any  thing  else.  It  is  quite  certain  to  my  mind  that  there 
is  some  risk  in  the  training  of  colts  to  such  a  mark  as  shall 
fit  them  to  trot  mile  heats  at  three  years  old;  and  some 
that  have  displayed  uncommon  fast  time  in  public  at  their 
three  and  four  year  old  stages,  would  probably  have  been 
much  better  off  to-day,  if  they  had  never  been  put  through 

69 


60  THE  TROTTING-UORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

the  strong  preparation  necessary  to  the  accomplishment  of 
those  feats. 

It  does  not  follow,  however,  that  a  subsequent  failure 
of  a  horse  to  carry  out  his  early  promise  resulted  from 
the  fact  that  he  was  trained  at  an  early  age.  These  colts 
are"  liable  to  the  vicissitudes  which  attend  other  horses ;  and, 
therefore,  they  may  go  amiss  in  a  manner  which  in  nowise 
depends  on  their  early  work.  Still,  there  is  a  presumption 
where  a  fast  colt  gives  but  at  a  time  of  afe  when  he  ought 
to  improve,  that  he  had  too  much  worK  for  his  stamina  at 
three  or  four  years  old ;  and,  with  one  of  much  promise  at 
three,  I  should  decline  to  match  him,  unless  I  was  convinced 
that  I  had  a  tolerably  easy  thing.  It  is  not  the  fast  trotting 
that  will  do  the  mischief,  but  the  amount  of  work  needful 
to  put  the  youngster  in  fix  for  a  repeating  race.  Yet  it  is 
well  known  that  some  colts  and  fillies  who  did  great  things 
in  public  at  three  and  four  years  old  have  since  turned  out 
good  horses. 

It  will  have  been  gathered  from  what  I  have  said  hereto- 
fore, that  my  system  contemplates  the  development  of  much 
speed  without  much  work.  Some  may  say  that  this  is 
impossible ;  but  my  experience  is  that  it  is  quite  practicable, 
and  a  great  deal  more  likely  to  be  followed  by  the  result 
desired,  than  keeping  the  colt  continually  hammering  at  all 
he  knows.  The  system  which  I  have  laid  down  heretofore 
for  the  management  of  the  two-year-old  is  still  to  be  fol- 
lowed in  its  general  principles  when  he  is  three,  with  such 
modifications  as  his  increase  of  age  justifies.  It  will  be 
much  better  to  err  on  the  side  of  a  little  indulgence,  than 
to  run  the  risk  of  knocking  him  off  his  legs  and  so  over- 
board, by  too  much  work.  The  first  race  that  I  remember 
between  three-year-old  trotters  was  some  thirty-four  years 
ago.  It  took  place  on  the  Hunting-Park  Course,  Philadel- 
phia, and  there  were  three  engaged.  Peter  Whelan  had 
Gipsy,  George  Woodruff  had  a  gray  filly  that  I  looked 
after,  and  there  was  another  one.  Gipsy  won  it  in  two 


THE   TROTTiNG-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  61 

heats,  and  the  time  was  somewhere  about  three  minutes 
and  seven  seconds.  We  thought  it  good  at  that  period, 
and  so  it  was.  In  considering  the  fast  time  made  by  our 
best  trotters  of  late  years,  we  ought  not  to  forget  that  the 
tracks  and  all  the  appliances  have  been  improved,  as  well 
as  the  horses.  Go  upon  the  Fashion  an  I  Union  courses  in 
the  trotting-season,  and  you  will  find  them  so  ordered  as  to 
be  as  smooth  as  a  bowling-alley.  It  is  scarcely  necessary 
to  say  that  the  courses  thirty  years  ago  were  very  different. 

The  next  very  prominent  trot  between  young  horses  was 
that  in  which  Ethan  Allen  defeated  Hose  of  Washington 
when  they  were  four  ytta,rs  old.  It  was  the  first  time  that 
a  young  stallion  had  appeared  in  public  at  that  age;  but 
Holkam  and  Roe  had  great  confidence.  Ethan  was  indeed 
a  superior  colt,  and  has  since  turned  out  a  superior  horse. 
He  had  a  good  one  to  beat,  too,  in  Eose  of  Washington ; 
and  she  has  also  turned  out  well.  It  cannot  be  said  that 
their  training  and  race  hurt  either  of  them ;  but  it  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  both  were  in  the  hands  of  wary  and 
experienced  men.  Their  time  (2m.  36s.)  was  the  best  then, 
but  it  has  since  been  very  much  reduced  in  Kentucky. 
Lady  Emma  affords  another  instance  of  speed  and  handling 
when  young,  with  subsequent  improvement  into  a  first-rate, 
fast,  and  lasting  trotter.  At  three  years  old  she  went  half 
a  mile  in  public  in  one  minute  nineteen  and  a  half  seconds, 
and  a  mile  in  two  minutes  fifty-two  seconds,  or  thereabouts. 
The  training  and  racing  she  had  as  a  three-year-old  did  not 
at  all  impair  her  bottom,  as  her  more  recent  performances 
have  abundantly  shown.  In  this  regard,  I  look  upon  Lady 
Emma  as  a  strong  case  in  point.  She  steadily  increased  her 
pneed  every  year  of  her  training,  and  in  bottom  she  was 
second  to  none. 

A  friend  of  mine,  who  is  a  noted  admirer  of  running- 
horses,  has  always  insisted  that  this  mare  was  thrown  back 
to  some  ancestor  in  the  pedigree  of  Old  Messenger  —  very 
likely  Flying  Childers  himself,  he  says.  It  is  true  that  she 


62  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

looked  like  a  thoroughbred  four-miler ;  but  I  would  not  take 
it  upon  me  to  affirm  that  the  likeness  came  from  such  a 
remote  ancestor.  Shepherd  Knapp  and  Jessie  were  another 
pair  that  were  trained  early,  and  with  no  ill-effect,  even 
though  their  race  was  one  of  uncommon  severity.  They 
were  four  years  old,  and  trotted  five  heats,  the  best  of  which 
was  two  minutes  and  forty  seconds.  It  was  the  second 
heat,  and  was  won  by  the  filly  after  she  had  previously  won 
the  first.  Upon  seeing  the  time  of  this  heat,  I  concluded 
that  the  colt  could  beat  her ;  and  he  won  the  three  subse- 
quent heats,  the  best  of  them  being  in  two  minutes  forty- 
one  seconds.  But  though,  in  view  of  his  recent  doings  in 
France,  it  cannot  be  said  that  this  severe  race  did  the  colt 
any  permanent  injury,  it  would  be  too  much  to  affirm  that 
it  did  him  any  good.  Next  year,  while  in  training  for  his 
match  with  Harry  Clay,  he  continually  hit  himself  in  the 
elbows,  by  reason  of  excessive  knee-action  as  it  appeared ; 
and  this  prevented  the  bringing  of  him  up  to  the  mark. 
This  horse  recently  trotted  two  miles  and  a  half  in  France, 
in  six  minutes  and  fourteen  seconds ;  which  is  a  trifle  better 
than  the  rate  of  two-thirty  to  the  mile. 

The  mare  Cora  was  another  very  fast  trotter  at  an  early 
age.  She  went  in  two  minutes  and  thirty-seven  and  a  half 
seconds,  at  three  years  old,  in  Kentucky ;  and  her  improve- 
ment since  has  been  very  marked.  She  was  sent  to  me  by 
her  then  owner  in  1866,  but  did  not  remain  long  enough 
to  be  put  in  condition.  Within  a  week  or  ten  days,  she 
was  sold  for  a  very  large  sum  to  a  gentleman  of  great  ex- 
perience and  knowledge  in  respect  to  trotting-horses.  Like 
Lady  Emma,  this  mare  is  noted  for  bottom  as  well  as  speed, 
—  a  proof,  I  think,  that  her  early  training  never  hurt  her 
stamina.  But  I  do  not  say  that  she  would  not  have  been 
just  as  good  without  quite  so  much  of  it  as  she  had  at  three 
years  old ;  and,  unless  there  is  some  great  object  in  view,  I 
shoul'd  not  subject  a  good  three-year-old  to  a  strong  prepa- 
ration. If,  however,  a  man  can  sell  a  colt  at  three  or  four 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  63 

years  old,  for  eight,  nine,  ten,  or  eleven  thousand  dollars, 
by  being  able  to  show  great  speed  and  ability  to  repeat, 
it  is  an  object  worth  some  risk  and  trouble.  It  is  by  no 
means  certain  that  the  colt  will  ever  attain  to  the  rank  of 
&  first-rate  trotter,  even  though  he  be  very  fast  at  three  or 
four  years  old,  and  the  training  by  which  his  precocious 
speed  was  developed  has  not  hurt  his  stamina,  his  temper, 
or  his  legs.  I  think  that  the  first  class  of  trotting-horses 
will  still  be  very  select ;  though,  other  things  being  equal, 
a  fast  four-year-old  is  more  likely  to  reach  it  than  one  not 
so  fast. 

The  instances  we  have  had,  however,  of  wonderful  trot- 
ters that  never  exhibited  any  extraordinary  speed  until  they 
were  from  six  to  ten  years  old,  cannot  be  disregarded.  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  particularize  them  hereafter,  when  we  come 
to  speak  of  the  training  of  the  matured  trotter.  Mean- 
time, I  need  only  mention  Flora  Temple,  Mr.  Bonner's 
mares  Peerless  and  Lady  Palmer,  and  the  late  little  horse 
Prince.  But  as  long  as  customers  are  to  be  found  for  fast 
three  and  four  year  olds  at  very  high  rates,  they  will  cer- 
tainly be  trained ;  and  my  object  is  to  induce  the  owners 
and  handlers  to  guard  against  the  forcing  severity  and  the 
heart-breaking  dogging  with  which  the  process  is  too  often 
accompanied.  There  is  another  reason  likely  to  be  sufficient 
to  induce  gentlemen  to  train  three-year  olds ;  which  is,  that  it 
is  often  desirable  to  show  the  produce  of  stallions  at  as  early 
a  period  as  possible.  This  has  no  doubt  operated  quite  as 
strongly  with  the  Kentucky  breeders  as  the  desire  of  get- 
ting high  prices  for  the  colts  they  trotted.  All  the  fast 
colts  that  they  have  shown  there  have  not,  however,  been 
equally  fortunate  with  Cora.  Ericsson,  who  made  the  best 
four-year-old  time,  and  another  that  went  with  him,  have 
not  improved  upon  their  colt  form.  The  gray  colts  raised 
by  Mr.  Alexander,  and  recently  sold  at  high  figures  to  gen- 
tlemen in  this  vicinity,  may  have  better  luck. 

Another  gray  that  showed  much  speed  and  cleverness  at 


64  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

a  very  early  age  was  Mr.  Hall's  colt,  Young  America,  by 
Hoagland's  Gray  Messenger.  He  trotted  two*  races  at  two 
years  old,  on  this  Island,  and  won  them  both.  In  the  first 
heat  he  beat  a  colt  by  Ethan  Allen,  and  in  the  next  defeated 
Rocky  Hill.  The  time  of  this  last  was  about  three  min- 
utes and  six  seconds.  The  produce  of  this  gray  horse  of 
Hoagland's  inherit  the  trotting  gift  very  strongly  from 
him,  together  with  the  hearty  constitution  and  cast-iron 
legs  that  have  commonly  been  found  united  in  the  descend- 
ants of  Old  Messenger.  Another  thing  was,  that  he  got  most 
of  them  gray  and  in  his  own  likeness.  The  premature  death 
of  this  horse  was  much  to  be  regretted ;  for  his  cover  seems 
to  have  been  almost,  or  quite,  as  sure  to  bring  a  trotter  as 
that  of  Hambletonian.  His  colt  out  of  the  Flatbush  Maid, 
and  another  one  of  the  same  age  out  of  Lady  Moscow,  have 
had  the  benefit  of  a  good  sound  tuition  without  any  forcing 
and  they  are  a  very  good  example  of  what  may  be  done  with 
four-year-olds  without  hurting  them  in  the  smallest  degree. 
Blonde  is  another  of  the  same  strain  and  stamp,  and  there 
is  a  suspicion  out  that  she  is  very  fast. 

The  colt  Bruno,  by  Hambletonian,  out  of  a  mare  said  to 
be  of  French  origin,  is  another  very  remarkable  instance  of 
great  trotting  speed  early  developed.  There  is  no  question 
in  my  mind  about  his  ability  to  have  beaten  any  thing  that 
has  yet  appeared  upon  the  trotting-turf  at  four  years  old ; 
and  as  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  he  has  been  at 
all  injured  by  his  training  up  to  this  time,  the  presump- 
tion is  that  he  will  be  in  the  first  class  of  trotters.  Taken 
altogether,  I  look  upon  Bruno's  three-year-old  race  as  more 
remarkable  than  that  of  Cora  in  Kentucky,  though  her 
three-year-old  time  was  about  a  second  better  than  he 
made.  The  long-scoring,  the  repeating  of  the  heat,  and 
the  shutting-up  of  an  enormous  gap  during  the  last,  con- 
tributed to  enhance  the  marvel  of  the  performance. 

It  may  be  doubted  whether  the  taxing  of  a  three-year- 
old's  speed  and  endurance  with  such  severity  ought  not  to 


THE  TRCVTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  65 

be  avoided.  My  own  opinion  is  against  it ;  and  therefore  I 
should  not  make  a  match  in  which  a  colt  of  that  age  was 
likely  to  be  called  upon  to  exert  all  his  powers,  unless  the 
circumstances  were  extraordinary.  A  great  deal,  however, 
depends  upon  the  constitution  and  forwardness  of  the  colt. 
A  handy,  vigorous,  clean-actioned  little  fellow  like  Bruno, 
may  be  more  fit  to  trot  a  race  at  three  years  old  than  a 
gangling,  loose  horse  would  be  at  five.  The  trainer  and 
owner,  with  all  the  circumstances  before  them,  must  judge 
for  themselves :  but,  as  a  general  rule,  do  not  treat  your 
colts  worse  than  you  do  your  criminals;  if  the  matter  is 
doubtful,  give  the  colt  the  benefit  of  the  doubt, —  refuse  to 
conclude  the  match  if  it  is  not  made,  and  pay  forfeit  if  it  is. 
When  I  say  doubtful,  I  do  not  mean  the  winning  of  the 
money,  because  that  is  always  doubtful,  but  the  inflicting 
of  an  injury  upon  the  colt,  either  to  his  legs,  temper,  or 
stamina,  by  too  much  exertion  in  preparing  or  in  trotting. 

If,  after  all,  a  man  makes  up  his  mind  to  risk  young 
tilings  in  tight  places,  where  the  violent  and  continued 
exertion  of  all  their  powers  will  probably  be  called  for, 
it  may  be  well  enough  for  him  to  approach  in  his  system 
of  raising  and  feeding  his  colts,  the  forcing  method  of  the 
running-horsemen.  In  order  that  the  colt  may  be  able  to 
stand  up  under  the  treatment  calculated  for  an  older  horse, 
he  must  be  made  old  as  soon  as  possible ;  and  strong  feeds 
of  oats  from  the  first  time  he  can  be  got  to  eat  them  is  the 
way  to  do  this.  Thereby  the  time  of  maturity  may  be 
anticipated ;  but  at  the  expense  of  the  thoroughness  of  the 
maturity,  I  think,  and  certainly  at  the  great  risk  of  its 
endurance.  As  I  before  had  occasion  to  state,  rapid  arrival 
at  maturity  is  almost  always  followed  by  premature  decay, 
and  this  is  especially  the  case  with  things  forced  by  high 
feeding  when  very  young.  It  is  also  to  be  kept  in  mind 
that  the  running-colt,  during  his  training  and  his  race,  has 
some  compensation  for  his  youth  in  the  way  of  weight, 
which  the  young  trotter  cannot  have.  A  two-year-old  colt 


66  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

running  in  this  country  will  only  carry  a  very  light  boy, 
and  the  three-year-old  weight  is  but  ninety  pounds  for  colts 
and  eighty-seven  for  fillies ;  whereas  the  young  trotter  will 
have  to  pull  as  much  as  George  Wilkes,  Lady  Emma,  or 
General  Butler,  in  a  race  in  harness.  Moreover,  the  run- 
ning-race for  two-year-olds  is  commonly  but  a  short  dash ; 
while  the  three-year-old  trotter  is  called  upon  to  go  races 
of  heats,  and  the  four-year-old  mile  heats,  three  in  five. 

But  if,  after  all  is  said,  the  owner  of  the  promising  three- 
year-old  determines  to  match  and  train  him,  he  had  better 
be  sure  that  the  preparation  is  not  too  severe.  It  will  be 
better  to  rely  upon  the  speed  and  goodness  of  the  colt,  and 
the  ability  and  management  of  the  driver  to  win,  than  to 
screw  the  young  thing  up  to  the  pitch  of  condition  at  the 
risk  of  upsetting  him.  If  the  colt  is  overtrained  now,  he  is 
not  only  damaged  for  the  time  being,  but  the  injury  to  his 
legs,  temper,  or  constitution,  will  very  likely  be  permanent. 
There  are  colts,  just  as  there  are  some  old  horses,  that  will 
stand  almost  any  thing,  and  no  amount  of  ignorance  and  reck- 
lessness seems  sufficient  to  spoil  them ;  but  these  are  the  ex- 
ceptional cases,  to  be  avoided,  not  imitated.  With  all  the 
care  that  we  can  take,  and  all  the  caution  that  we  can  exercise, 
we  shall  find  enough  of  our  promising  youngsters  disappoint 
us  in  the  expectations  we  have  formed,  without  running  the 
risk  of  ruining  them  by  tasks  too  severe  for  the  immature 
condition  of  their  bones  and  sinews,  and  for  that  lack  of 
seasoning  which  accompanies  their  early  years.  I  admit, 
that,  when  a  man  has  a  fast  colt,  the  temptation  is  strong  to 
earn  honor  and  profit  by  the  public  display  of  his  powers : 
but  in  almost  every  instance  it  ought  to  be  resisted ;  for  its 
premature  indulgence  is  too  often  like  the  conduct  of  the 
improvident  savages,  who  cut  down  trees  to  get  at  tho 
fruit. 


V. 


Actual  Training  of  the  Three-year-old.  — No  Physic  and  no  Sweat  at  first.— 
Danger  of  "  Overmarking."  —  Strong  Feed  of  Oats  and  Hay.  —  Bran- 
Mashes. —  Kubbing  the  Legs.  —  Full  supply  of  Water.  —  Management 
before  and  in  the  Eace.  —  Strains  likely  to  stand  Early  Training.  —  The 
Abdallahs. 

HAYING  given  my  views  as  to  the  prudence  of  train- 
ing a  three-year-old  colt  for  a  race,  I  shall  now  make 
some  remarks  upon  the  course  advisable  to  be  followed 
where  the  match  has  been  made  and  the  race  is  to  come  off. 
The  colt  may  have  been  kept  in  the  stable  all  the  winter, 
or  he  may  have  had  the  run  of  a  lot  on  fine  days,  with  a  loose 
box  at  night.  In  either  case,  his  work  in  the  spring  is  to  be 
exactly  like  that  which  he  was  called  on  to  do  in  the  fall 
of  his  two-year-old  stage,  beginning  very  gently,  and  tak- 
ing care'  never  to  keep  him  so  long  at  it  as  to  fret  and 
discourage  him.  ~No  physic  is  required,  nor  is  any  sweat 
demanded  to  begin  with.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the 
growing  animal  does  not  make  internal  fat  like  an  old  horse, 
and  that  the  system  has  not  attained  the  firmness  and  hard- 
ness which  will  bear  scraping  and  squeezing  to  be  drawn 
fine.  If  a  colt  is  stripped  of  his  fat  and  reduced  in  flesh  as 
old  horses  are,  his  growth  is  stopped,  and  the  muscular 
development  that  is  now  in  process  is  interfered  with  to  the 
lasting  disadvantage  of  the  animal.  Therefore,  the  utmost 
caution  is  required  in  dealing  with  them ;  and  the  effect  of 
the  work  is  to  be  carefully  watched  from  day  to  day  by  the 
person  having  them  in  charge.  Before  the  work  is  begun 
at  all,  it  must  be  apparent  that  the  colt  is  full  of  health,  and 

67 


68  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

possessed  of  that  buoyancy  and  elasticity  of  spirit  which  a 
young  thing  ought  to  have  anyhow,  and  which  are  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  bear  him  up  under  the  treatment  to 
which  he  is  now  to  be  subjected.  If  ho  is  bold  and  familiar, 
and  a  little  given  to  mischief,  so  much  the  better ;  that  is  a 
very  different  thing  from  vice,  and  much  to  be  preferred  to 
fiightiness  and  nervousness. 

Begin  with  a  little  walking  exercise  every  day,  and  from 
that  proceed  to  moderate  work  in  harness.  See  that  every 
thing  is  done  to  make  the  colt  enter  into  his  work  with 
good  pluck,  and  take  care  that  the  jogging  is  not  carried  so 
far  as  to  make  it  monotonous  and  disgusting  to  him.  It 
should  not  be  confined  to  the  course,  but  he  may  be  driven 
about  the  country-roads  when  they  are  good ;  and  the  spurts 
of  speed  in  which  he  is  indulged  should  be  lively  but  short. 
By  this  means  he  will  always  leave  off  with  a  desire  to  go  a 
little  farther,  and  will  dash  out  with  alacrity  when  he  is 
called  upon  to  go  again.  The  speed  will  be  increased,  in 
nine  cases  out  of  ten,  by  this  treatment  j  and  the  gait  will  be 
maintained  square  and  open.  Speed  can  neither  be  created 
nor  preserved  by  forcing  when  young.  If  the  colt  goes 
frisking  and  playing  along,  he  feels  well  at  his  jogging,  and 
you  may  send  him  a  trifle  farther  in  his  spurts.  But  if,  on 
the  other  hand,  he  looks  dull  and  jaded,  and  requires  to  be 
urged,  save  him.  It  will  do  harm  instead  of  good  to  keep 
him  at  it :  for  he  is  in  danger  of  being  "  overmarked ; "  and, 
if  that  once  takes  place  in  the  course  of  this  his  first  prep- 
aration, you  had  better  pay  forfeit,  and  give  him  a  long 
let-up.  So,  also,  if  he  begins  to  hitch  and  hobble  in  his 
gait,  you  must  let  him  up  in  his  work.  It  is  of  no  use  to 
keep  on  in  hopes  that  he  will  go  square  again.  The  more 
you  keep  on,  the  worse  the  mischief  will  be.  Study  the 
disposition  of  the  colt.  If  you  cannot  understand  him,  it  is 
not  at  all  likely  that  he  will  understand  you. 

I  have  seen  many  very  promising  three-year-old  colts 
broken  in  their  gaits,  and  got  to  paddling,  solely  by  the 


THE  TROTTING-UORSE  OF  AMERICA.  69 

obstinacy  of  the  man  in  charge,  who  had  determined  to 
" make  trotters  out  of  them."  It  was  this  foolish  attempt 
at  "making"  that  prevented  their  being  trotters  in 
good  time.  The  three-year-old  colt,  of  the  two,  is  more 
difficult  to  deal  with  than  the  two-year-old.  The  former 
is  shedding  his  colt's  teeth,  his  mouth  is  broken,  his  gums 
sore,  and  his  system  more  or  less  fevered.  His  food  is  not 
thoroughly  masticated,  and  sometimes  he  will  not  consume 
his  usual  quantity.  There  is  a  vastly  greater  difference 
between  him  and  an  old  horse,  than  between  him  and  a 
two-year-old,  in  solidity  of  bone,  in  duration  of  sinew,  and 
development  of  muscle.  The  difference  between  the  two 
and  three  year  old,  in  reference  to  their  ability  to  stand  work, 
is  one  of  degree  only,  and  not  of  kind.  When  the  two- 
year-old  is  well  formed,  hardy  and  lusty  for  his  age,  he  is 
more  fit  to  take  work  than  a  three-year-old  with  a  broken 
mouth  and  fevered  system.  It  being  discovered,  however, 
that  the  colt  in  training  is  doing  well,  the  system  I  have 
indicated  is  to  be  pursued  in  such  degree  as  his  constitu- 
tion and  disposition  call  for. 

The  feed  is  now  to  be  according  to  his  size,  appetite, 
and  work.  Eight,  nine,  ten,  or,  in  some  extraordinary  cases, 
even  twelve  quarts  of  oats  a  day  may  be  given.  Once  in  a 
while  he  may  have  a  very  little  corn ;  but  there  is  no  real 
occasion  for  it,  except  in  case  of  a  poor  feeder.  There  is  no 
doubt  at  all  about  the  fact  that  oats  are  the  best  food  for  a 
horse.  They  supply  the  greatest  quantity  of  the  constitu- 
ents of  the  muscular  fibre  which  the  horse  is  always 
expending,  while  corn  supplies  the  fatty  matter  in  greatest 
quantity.  Therefore,  keep  the  corn  for  the  bullocks  and 
hogs,  and  give  oats  to  the  horses.  Some  say  that  corn  may 
be  fed  to  colts,  because  its  silicious  particles  go  to  make  up 
bone ;  but  enough  of  these  earthy  matters  will  be  found  in 
the  \i&y,  in  the  husks  of  the  oats,  and  in  the  water.  In 
this  training  the  colt  is  to  have  all  the  hay  that  he  will  eat 
up  clean.  His  general  health  and  the  condition  of  his 


70  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

bowels  are  to  be  watched,  and  a  bran-mash,  is  to  be  given 
when  it  is  thought  that  it  will  be  beneficial.  It  may  usu- 
ally be  ventured  on  at  least  once  a  week,  unless  there  is  a 
tendency  to  looseness.  Its  effects  are  comforting  and  sooth- 
ing, and  it  promotes  the  secretions  as  well  as  empties  the 
bowels.  He  is  to  be  fed  and  to  have  a  little  water  before 
going  to  work,  in  the  same  way  as  I  have  laid  down  in 
regard  to  the  colt  at  two  years  old. 

The  legs  of  the  colt  may  be  hand-rubbed  a  little  during 
his  course  of  training ;  but  they  do  not  want  it  like  those  of 
a  battered-up  old  horse :  and  my  motto  is  that  what  is  not 
wanted  ought  not  to  be  attempted.  Water  is  to  be  kept 
away  from  the  legs  of  the  colt  as  much  as  possible :  they 
are  to  be  kept  clean  by  means  of  the  brush  and  cloth.  As 
his  work  goes  on,  his  brushes  may  be  extended  to  a  quarter 
of  a  mile ;  but  he  is  always  to  be  kept  well  within  himself. 
It  is  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  there  are  no  great  things  to 
be  done  with  him  this  year,  except  to  develop  his  speed, 
and  see  to  it  that  he  is  kept  in  good  health.  More  will 
have  to  be  done  in  conditioning  by  and  by ;  but  it  will  be  a 
year  or  two,  perhaps  three,  before  he  is  fit  to  stand  the 
"grand  preparation,"  as  our  friends  the  race-horse  men 
call  the  thorough-training  process.  Meantime,  it  is  to  be 
thought,  that  if  he  has  had  his  health,  has  stood  his  work 
well,  and  has  shown  an  increase  of  speed,  you  will  be  want- 
ing to  see  what  he  can  do  towards  the  race.  But  you  must 
withstand  the  temptation  to  do  any  thing  like  what  he  will 
be  called  on  to  do  in  public ;  for,  if  he  does  it  for  you  now, 
it  is  likely  enough  that  he  will  not  be  able  to  do  it  on  the 
day  in  question.  Eight  or  ten  days  prior  to  the  race,  having 
ascertained  that  he  feels  in  good  health  and  strong  heart, 
brush  him  half  a  mile.  You  can  tell  by  the  way  he  finishes, 
and  by  how  he  feels  afterwards,  whether  he  will  be  likely  to 
stand  the  mile-heat  out  and  to  repeat  it.  Unless  the 
trainer  can  form  a  judgment  in  this  matter,  there  is  very 
little  chance  for  the  colt  in  the  race,  except  the  other  man 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  71 

is  equally  incapable  of  forming  an  estimate  of  his  colt's 
stamina  without  repeating  him.  During  the  whole  course 
of  the  work,  the  colt  is  to  have  a  full  supply  of  water  every 
day ;  hut  he  is  to  have  it  at  different  times,  and  not  to  be 
allowed  to  distend  himself  with  a  great  quantity  of  water 
at  one  time.  The  night  before  the  race,  the  muzzle  is  to  be 
put  on,  if  he  is  a  gross  feeder,  and  is  likely  to  eat  the  straw 
of  his  bedding.  Before  this,  the  usual  quantity  of  oats  and 
about  a  pound  and  a  half  of  hay  may  be  given.  If  the 
colt  has  been  in  the  habit  of  drinking  a  large  allowance  of 
water,  he  may  have  two-thirds  of  a  pailful  before  he  is 
muzzled  for  the  night ;  but,  if  he  has  usually  only  consumed 
a  small  quantity,  do  not  give  him  quite  so  much.  This 
water  will  all  have  been  absorbed  and  thrown  out  of  the 
system  again  before  he  is  called  upon  to  act.  Next  morn- 
ing early,  before  he  goes  out  to  walk,  let  him  have  two 
quarts  of  oats,  and  about  the  same  quantity  of  water. 
Usually,  he  need  only  take  walking  exercise  on  this  morn- 
ing ;  but  if  he  happens  to  be  a  strong,  hearty  fellow,  and 
given  to  be  riotous  in  disposition,  he  ought  to  be  jogged 
four  or  five  miles.  At  about  eleven  o'clock  feed  him  from 
a  quart  to  three  pints  of  oats,  and  from  half  a  pound  to  a 
pound  and  a  half  of  hay.  Less  than  half  a  pound  is  not 
sufficient  to  stay  the  stomach ;  more  than  a  pound  and  a 
half  is  likely  to  be  mischievous,  and  to  interfere  with  the 
wind. 

Between  those  quantities,  the  trainer  must  judge  accord- 
ing to  the  disposition  and  constitution  of  the  colt.  He  is 
not  to  be  drawn  fine  and  reduced  like  an  old  horse ;  but,  at 
the  same  time,  he  must  not  be  called  upon  to  perform  the 
unusual  feat  before  him  with  any  thing  like  a  full  stomach. 
If  he  is  distressed  after  the  heat,  and  seems  weak,  give  him 
a  little  gruel,  or  a  small  quantity  of  wine  and  water ;  or  you 
may  even  administer  a  little  good  brandy.  It  is  astonish- 
ing what  a  dose  of  brandy  will  sometimes  do  for  a  horse 
when  he  is  badly  off,  and  it  looks  as  if  he  was  going  to  b? 


72  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

beaten.  It  will  not  do,  however,  to  be  giving  brandy  unless 
it  is  clearly  required;  and  here,  again,  the  trainer  must  use 
his  own  judgment,  and  have  firmness  enough  to  follow  its 
dictates.  There  are  always  enough  outsiders,  who,  having 
nothing  at  stake  and  no  responsibility,  will  give  advice 
gratis  ;  but  it  is  commonly  to  be  disregarded. 

In  deciding  upon  what  a  colt  may  be  safely  called  upon 
to  do  at  an  early  age,  his  breed,  as  well  as  his  form,  disposi- 
tion, and  constitution,  must  be  taken  into  account.  Those 
strains  which  are  related  more  or  less  closely  to  the  blood- 
horse  may  be  trained  at  an  earlier  period,  and  will  stand 
more  work,  than  the  colder-blooded  sorts.  This  is  well 
understood  by  those  who  prepare  the  steeple-chasers  of 
England  and  Canada.  Some  of  these  horses  are  quite 
thoroughbred,  some  nearly  thoroughbred,  and  some  not 
above  half-bred.  Now,  it  has  been  found  by  experience, 
that  of  two  horses  apparently  alike  in  stoutness  and  excel- 
lence of  constitution,  but  one  nearly  thoroughbred  and  the 
other  only  half-bred,  the  amount  of  work  which  will  improve 
the  wind  and  speed,  and  harden  the  condition,  of  the  former, 
will  almost  certainly  overmark  and  ruin  the  chance  of  the 
other.  Then  the  muscles  shrink,  and  become  soft  and 
unstrung,  instead  of  increasing  in  volume  and  consistency ; 
then  the  eye  is  dull,  and  the  feed  is  no  longer  consumed 
with  relish  in  sufficient  quantity.  The  breed  is  therefore 
to  be  considered  as  well  as  the  natural  constitution  of  the 
individual  horse  in  hand. 

The  stock  of  the  famous  horse  Abdallah,  who  was  by 
Mambrino,  a  thoroughbred  son  of  imported  Messenger, 
would  almost  all  stand  training  at  an  early  age ;  and  what 
is,  perhaps,  more  important,  it  did  not  appear  to  impair 
their  future  durability.  It  is  now  thirty  years  ago  since  I 
rode  two  famous  trotting-horses  of  his  get.  One  of  them, 
Ajax,  was  foaled  in  1834 ;  the  other,  Hector,  the  next  year, 
1835.  At  five  years  old,  they  were  both  capital  trotters ; 
and  by  and  by,  when  we  come  to  speak  of  the  trotting- 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  73 

horses  with  which  I  have  had  to  do  in  the  course  cf  my 
career,  I  shall  have  more  to  say  about  them.  Fourth  of 
July,  a  gray  horse  by  Abdallah,  was  another  good  trotter 
at  five  years  old.  Medoc  was  another  of  his  get  that  was 
justly  noted  ;  and  there  was  Brooklyn  Maid,  a  very  fast 
mare,  and  a  noted  sticker.  In  1840,  when  she  was  only 
five  years  old,  this  mare  trotted  a  fifth  heat  in  two  minutes 
and  thirty-six  seconds.  Considering  that  this  was  twenty- 
five  years  ago,  it  must  be  regarded  as  a  capital  performance. 
The  Abdallahs  came  on  early,  and  lasted  long.  They  were 
commonly  full  of  spirits,  wild  and  playful  as  kittens,  with 
first-rate  stamina,  and  always  ready  to  trot.  Through  this 
grandson  of  his,  the  strain  of  old  Messenger  was  diffused 
east  and  west  in  this  country ;  and  at  this  day  it  seems  to 
have  parted  with  none  of  its  blood-like,  speedy,  and  endur- 
ing qualities.  His  son  Hambletonian  also  gets  produce 
which  stand  work  early,  and  promise  to  be  in  nowise  defi- 
cient in  endurance.  During  the  time  he  was  in  Kentucky, 
Abdallah  did  a  great  deal  for  the  trotting-horse  out  there ; 
and  they  have  wisely  re-enforced  the  infusion  by  further 
importations  of  the  Messenger  blood. 

When  it  is  considered  that  their  trotting-stallions  have 
been  very  often  well-bred,  and  then  put  to  thoroughbred 
mares,  it  must  go  far  to  account  for  the  extraordinary  feats 
performed  there  by  colts  that  were  only  four  years  old.  I 
see  no  absolute  reason  to  deny  the  statement  made,  that  Mr. 
Alexander's  colt  Bay  Chief,  by  Mambrino  Chief,  out  of  a 
thoroughbred  mare,  trotted  half  a  mile,  at  four  years  old,  in 
one  minute  and  eight  seconds.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
the  wounds  he  got  in  the  battle  with  the  guerillas  have 
ruined  him.  Ericsson's  mile  —  the  fourth  heat  —  in  two 
minutes  thirty  and  a  half  seconds  was  an  astonishing  thing 
for  a  four-year-old,  especially  when  it  is  added  that  it  was 
done  to  a  wagon.  It  does  not  appear  upon  the  record  that 
this  was  the  case,  for  the  way  of  going  is  not  set  down; 
but  I  learn  from  a  gentleman  of  unquestionable  veracity, 


74  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

who  had  to  do  with  the  colt  at  the  time,  that  he  trotted  to 
a  wagon. 

Kentucky  Chief,  who  won  the  first  heat,  and  afterwards 
went  to  California,  where  he  died,  was  another  good  one. 
He  went  in  harness.  Idol  was  another  very  fast  one  when 
young ;  and  Brignoli  was  thought  to  be  about  as  good  as 
they  are  made.  Royal  George  was  another  very  fast  one ; 
and  quite  recently  there  have  been  Mr.  Alexander's  gray 
geldings  Dudley  and  Bull  Run,  and  his  bay  stallion  Bay 
Chief.  The  information  as  to  Morgan  Chief,  or  Ericsson,  as 
he  is  now  called,  having  trotted  that  mile  in  two  thirty  and 
a  half,  to  wagon,  came  from  a  gentleman  who  had  an  inter- 
est in  him  at  the  time,  and  brought  a  trotter  from  Kentucky 
to  me  to  be  trained  last  fall.  He  said,  too,  that  he  was  a 
great,  overgrown  colt,  standing  about  sixteen  and  a  half 
hands  high,  and  could  trot  faster  to  a  wagon  than  he  could 
to  a  sulky.  That  was  the  same  meeting  where  Cora  made 
her  two  minutes  thirty-seven  and  three-quarters,  and 
Medoc,  since  called  John  Morgan,  won  at  two  and  three 
mile  heats. 


VI. 


Characteristics  of  the  Stars.  —  Of  the  Bashaws.  —  The  Clays.  —  The  Trus- 
tees. —  Natural  Trotters  in  England.  — Of  Trotters  that  paced.  — To 
make  Pacers  trot. 

fin  HE  produce  of  American  Star  are  hardly  as  safe  to 
JL  train  early  as  those  of  Messenger  through  Abdallah, 
Mamhrino  Chief,  &c.,  by  reason  of  their  being  more  fragile 
about  the  legs.  When,  however,  the  two  lines  are  combined, 
this  is  rectified ;  and  the  cross  seems  to  make  a  very  fine, 
fast  trotting-horse,  as  near  perfection  as  may  be.  Such  is 
Mr.  Bonner's  gray  mare  Peerless,  who  was  by  Star  out  of 
a  gray  mare  full  of  the  Messenger  blood.  She  is  the  fastest 
that  I  (or,  indeed,  anybody  else)  have  ever  driven  to  a  wagon. 
Dexter  is  another  capital  instance  of  the  value  of  this  cross. 
Some  of  the  Stars  have  given  out  in  the  legs  j  but  their 
pluck  is  so  good  that  they  stand  up  to  the  last,  when  little 
better  than  mere  cripples.  It  is  no  wonder  that  they  have 
great  game  and  courage  j  for  Star's  grandsire  was  the  thor- 
ough-bred four-miler  Henry,  who  ran  for  the  South,  on  the 
Island  here,  against  Eclipse,  in  1823.  I  went  to  see  the 
race,  and  got  a  licking  for  it  when  I  came  home.  The  Mes- 
senger cross  gives  the  Stars  size,  strength,  and  bone,  and 
counteracts  their  hereditary  tendency  to  contraction  of  the 
feet.  It  would  not  do  to  breed  the  Stars  in-and-in,  as  has 
answered  so  well  with  the  descendants  of  Messenger.  Wid- 
ow Machree,  a  daughter  of  Star,  was  a  very  fast,  game  mare, 
and  an  all-day  trotter.  The  little  horse  Bolly  Lewis  was 
another  good  one  by  him,  and  Goshen  Maid  still  another. 
She  went  the  fourth  heat  to  a  wagon  in  2.32  £. 

75 


76  THE  TBOTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

The  Bashaws  were  not  commonly  trained  early ;  and  they 
were  not  natural  trotters  in  the  same  degree  as  the  horses 
of  the  Messenger  line.  The  Bashaws  originated  from  Grand 
Bashaw,  a  horse  imported  from  Barbary ;  and  they  have  been 
principally  represented  through  his  son,  Young  Bashaw,  and 
his  sons,  Black  Bashaw,  Andrew  Jackson,  and  Saladin. 
Black  Bashaw  did  not  trot  in  public ;  neither  did  Abdallah, 
Messenger's  grandson.  The  latter  never  was  in  harness  in 
his  life  j  but  you  could  jump  on  him  bare-backed,  and  he 
would  go  right  away  Xi  fifty-clip.  In  those  days,  entire 
horses  were  not  trained.  It  was  thought  that  they  would 
be  ruined  for  service  if  they  were  "  put  through  the  mill " 
for  racing  purposes ;  and  so,  when  they  showed  a  good  gait, 
they  were  reserved  for  the  stud.  The  notion  also  prevailed, 
that  it  would  ruin  a  trotter  to  train  him  before  he  was  five 
or  six  years  old.  "The  only  Bashaw  that  I  know  of  that 
trotted  at  three  years  old  was  the  gray  filly  before  mentioned, 
beaten  by  Gypsy  in  1830.  My  uncle,  George  Woodruff,  had 
a  very  high  opinion  of  the  Bashaws.  He  handled  more  of 
them,  including  Lantern  and  George  Washington,  than  any 
other  man,  I  think.  He  had  old  Topgallant,  a  son  of  im- 
ported Messenger,  and  a  noted  old-time  trotter.  More  will 
have  to  be  said  about  that  class  of  horses  hereafter. 

Young  Bashaw  became  much  noted  through  his  son  An- 
drew Jackson,  who  was  one  of  the  first  stallions  that  ever 
trotted  in  public.  His  best  performance  was  at  Centreville 
some  thirty  years  ago  —  it  was  1835 :  he  went  two  miles  in 
5.18.  He  got  Long-Island  Black  Hawk,  who  was  the  first 
horse  that  trotted  a  mile  in  2.40  to  a  2501b.  wagon.  It  was 
against  Jenny  Lind,  who  went  to  a  skeleton  wagon,  and 
won  the  second  heat  in  2.38.  The  stallion  beat  her  the 
race,  which  was  the  first  he  ever  went.  Black  Hawk  won 
the  stallion  stake  on  Union  Course  in  1849.  He  beat  Cas- 
sius  M.  Clay ;  and  St.  Lawrence  paid  forfeit.  This  Long- 
Island  Black  Hawk  was  a  capital  horse.  He  could  pull  any 
weight,  and  was  good  for  a  long  distance,  as  the  race  of 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  77 

three-mile  heats  in  which  he  beat  Americus  showed.  The 
wagons  and  drivers  weighed  350  Ibs.  He  is  not  to  he  con- 
founded with  the  tribe  of  Black  Hawks  that  left  the  trot- 
ing-place  up  in  Vermont,  and  flew  all  over  the  Western 
country,  some  years  ago.  This  was  a  horse  of  another 
stamp  altogether.  I  have  said  that  I  did  not  think  the 
Bashaws  quite  equal  to  the  Messenger  line  for  natural  trot- 
ting. It  is,  however,  hard  to  separate  them,  as  the  dam  of 
Young  Bashaw's  dam  was  a  Messenger  mare  j  and  the  lines 
have  been  otherwise  closely  mingled.  George  Woodruff  is 
of  opinion  that  Black  Bashaw,  who  was  the  sire  of  Awful, 
Lantern,  &c.,  would  have  got  as  many  fast  trotters  as  any 
horse  that  ever  lived  if  he  had  had  good  mares.  He  stood 
at  ten  dollars,  and  hardly  ever  received  a  good  mare.  After- 
wards, his  fee  was  raised  to  twenty  dollars ;  but  he  still  had 
common  mares.  The  Monmouth-Eclipse  mare,  that  was  the 
dam  of  Lightning,  was  an  exception.  Awful  was  a  capital 
trotter — perhaps  the  best  of  the  Black  Bashaws.  George 
Woodruff  drove  him  in  2m.  25s.  over  Point-Breeze  Park,  in 
a  trial,  before  he  brought  him  on  here. 

It  is  said  that  Henry  Clay,  a  son  of  Andrew  Jackson,  is 
still  living  in  this  State.  He  got  Cassius  M.  Clay,  who 
was  the  sire  of  George  M.  Patchen.  The  dam  of  this  last 
famous  trotter  was  said  to  have  been  got  by  a  son  of  im- 
ported Trustee.  Trustee  got  but  few  trotters.  The  chest- 
nut horse,  so-called,  who  went  twenty  miles  in  harness,  was 
by  far  the  best  of  the  few  he  got ;  and  I  believe  that  his 
dam,  Fanny  Pullen,  put  the  trotting  action  into  him. 
There  was  another  got  by  imported  Trustee,  called  Trus- 
tee, Jr.,  who  trotted  ten  miles  well.  There  have  been  other 
bays  who  got  a  few  very  good  trotting-horses  about  here  ; 
but,  as  their  produce  was  not  trained  early,  it  is  unnecessary 
to  mention  them  in  this  connection.  And  there  have  been 
some  whose  reputed  pedigrees  were  too  uncertain  to  be 
relied  on.  Prince,  the  Buffalo  horse,  burnt  last  fall  in 
Massachusetts,  was  one  that  nobody  can  tell  any  thing 


78  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

about.  The  other  Prince,  the  chestnut  horse  mat  beat 
Hero  the  pacer  ten  miles,  was  a  thoroughbred,  according 
to  the  accounts  I  have  had.  I  had  supposed  that  Lady 
Palmer  was  the  only  thoroughbred  trotter  in  this  country; 
but  they  say  that  Prince  was  got  by  Woodpecker  out  of  a 
thoroughbred  mare  by  Langford,  and  was  first  trained  to 
run. 

Little  attention  as  there  has  been  paid  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  trotting  tendency  in  England,  I  find  that  there  have 
been  some  thoroughbred  trotters  there,  and  some  that  were 
very  nearly  thoroughbred.  A  gentleman  who  is  well  in- 
formed in  the  matter  tells  me  that  a  large  number  of  the 
horses  got  by  Lord  Grosvenor's  Mambrino,  the  sire  of  Mes- 
senger, had  the  natural  trotting  gift ;  that  Infidel,  by  Turk, 
was  a  natural  trotter,  and,  after  he  was  put  out  of  training 
as  a  race-horse,  trotted  fifteen  miles  an  hour  on  the  road 
between  Newcastle  and  Carlisle;  Scott,  by  Blank,  was 
another ;  and  Pretender,  by  Hue  and  Cry,  out  of  a  thor- 
oughbred Pretender  mare,  another.  And  further,  that  he 
saw  Von  Tromp,  half-brother  to  Flying  Dutchman,  whipped 
and  spurred  above  an  eighth  of  a  mile  before  he  could  be 
got  out  of  a  fast  trot  into  a  gallop.  This  horse  is  now  in 
Russia ;  and  it  is  a  reasonable  opinion,  that,  if  he  were  here, 
he  would  get  good  trotters  out  of  trotting-mares,  and  put 
the  staying  stuff  into  them.  Having  been  got  by  Laner- 
cost,  out  of  Barbelle,  his  blood  is  very  stout.  I  think  there 
can  be  but  little  doubt  of  the  fact,  that  the  only  infusion  of 
thoroughbred  blood  into  the  trotting-horse  to  be  relied  on 
to  improve  the  latter  as  a  whole  ought  to  come  from  fami- 
lies, who,  as  thoroughbreds,  have  shown  a  disposition  to 
bend  the  knee,  and  trot.  Those  having  a  strong  dash  of  the 
Messenger  blood  would  be  apt  to  succeed ;  and  it  has  suc- 
ceeded in  some  notable  instances.  John  Morgan  was  out  of 
a  Medoc  mare ;  and  Medoc  was  by  American  Eclipse,  who 
was  out  of  Messenger's  daughter,  Miller's  Damsel.  I  know 
of  a  thoroughbred  colt  now  in  training  as  a  runner,  that 


THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA.  79 

shows  right  smart  trotting  action.  It  is  believed  that  he 
can  go  a  four-minute  clip,  and  that  without  the  least  educa- 
tion. I  attribute  it  solely  to  the  Messenger  blood  there  is 
in  him,  Eclipse  having  been  his  grandsire. 

It  is  a  circumstance  not  to  be  passed  over  without  notice, 
that  a  number  of  our  fast  trotters  were  pacers  first,  and 
were  trained  as  such  before  they  struck  a  trot.  After  some 
time  they  changed  their  gait,  and  not  only  went  fast,  but 
were  squara  and  steady  as  well.  Pelham  was  a  notable 
instance  of  this.  He  came  off  the  ice  from  Maine,  where 
he  had  been  a  very  fast  pacer ;  and,  in  1846,  I  got  him  in 
Boston.  From  the  time  he  struck  a  trot  he  improved  right 
along,  and  soon  became  an  uncommon  good  one.  Horace 
Jones  had  him  afterwards,  and  then  Whelan.  He  made 
the  best  time  on  record,  in  harness,  in  a  race  against 
Lady  Suffolk  and  Jack  Bossiter,  —  2.28.  The  mare  won  it, 
but  Pelham  got  two  heats.  He  was  a  square-gaited  horse  as 
a  trotter.  Pilot  was  another  pacer  that  quitted  it  for  a  bet- 
ter gait,  and  went  like  a  humming-bird  as  a  trotter.  When 
he  first  struck  a  trot  it  surprised  his  owner ;  but  he  improved 
so  rapidly,  that,  before  very  long,  he  trotted  in  2.28  \  at 
Providence. 

Another  very  remarkable  instance  was  that  of  Cayuga 
Chief.  This  horse  was  not  only  a  pacer,  but  single-footed 
when  at  a  moderate  rate,  like  the  old  Narraganset  pacers. 
He  belonged  to  a  livery-stable  keeper  at  Worcester,  Mass., 
and  was  let  out  as  a  hack.  His  easy  gait  and  fine  appear- 
ance—  he  was  brown,  with  a  blaze  in  the  face,  and  very 
handsome  —  made  him  a  great  favorite  with  the  ladies; 
and,  whenever  there  was  a  riding-party,  he  was  spoken  for 
beforehand  by  some  of  the  belles.  He  paced  fast  when 
called  upon ;  but,  carrying  a  lady,  he  always  went  ambling 
off  single-footed,  in  the  easiest  and  most  gentle  style.  He 
was  at  this  until  nearly  the  fall  of  1839,  and  then  the  ladies 
of  Worcester  had  to  say  good-by  to  their  favorite  as  a  sad- 
dle-horse. One  day  he  struck  a  trot,  and  went  very  fast. 


80  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

His  improvement  was  as  rapid  as  that  of  Pelham  and  Pilot, 
perhaps  more  so ;  for  in  1840  he  trotted  his  first  race  at 
Centreville,  and  did  two  miles  in  five  minutes  and  fifteen 
seconds. 

Tip  was  another  fast  pacer  that  saw  the  error  of  his  way 
of  going,  and  took  to  trotting.  He  helonged  to  Rochester, 
and  was  afterwards  sold  to  a  gentleman  in  Jersey.  As  a 
pacer  he  was  very  fast.  After  he  had  hegun  to  trot,  Spicer 
got  him,  and  he  trotted  in  puhlic  low  down  in  the  thirties. 
As  a  general  rule,  those  horses  that  have  been  pacers  have 
been  very  steady,  and,  when  trotting  fast,  have  seemed 
afraid  to  break.  But  some  of  them  have  caused  a  good 
deal  of  disappointment  and  some  profanity  by  taking  to 
pacing  again  all  of  a  sudden,  in  the  middle  of  a  race,  or 
even  in  the  middle  of  a  heat.  There  was  a  roan  horse 
called  Dart,  that  had  been  a  pacer,  but  had  struck  a  trot, 
and  he  was  in  my  charge.  He  could  go  like  a  bullet ;  for  I 
have  driven  him  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  wagon  in  thirty- 
four  seconds,  with  my  watch  in  my  hand.  Finally  he  was 
matched,  and  we  thought  we  had  a  good  thing  of  it ;  and  so 
we  should  if  the  brute  hadn't  kicked  over  the  milk-pail. 
He  won  the  first  heat  easily ;  but  in  the  next,  when  quite 
within  himself,  he  suddenly  struck  a  pace,  just  as  if  he  was 
determined  to  show  the  company  that  he  could  go  both 
ways.  All  my  efforts  to  get  him  down  to  a  trot  were  fruit- 
less. Dart  wouldn't  trot ;  and  so,  when  we  came  to  the  gate, 
I  just  made  him  dart  out  of  the  course,  without  going  near 
the  judges.  Still,  I  should  not  be  afraid  of  this  in  a  pacer 
that  had  taken  up  a  trot  and  gone-  that  gait  a  reasonable 
time  with  steadiness.  A  trotting-horse  is  so  much  more 
valuable  than  a  pacer,  that,  if  I  had  one  of  the  latter  that 
could  go  in  2.20,  I  should  watch  carefully  for  the  chance  to 
make  a  trotter  out  of  him. 

Any  pacing-horse  can  be  made  to  trot  by  putting  rails 
down,  and  making  him  move  over  them.  His  fore-feet  will 
get  over  clean ;  but  he  cannot  shuffle  his  hind-feet  ov  *r  at  a 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  81 

pace  without  hitting,  and  he  must  trot  very  soon  or  fall 
down.  This  method  is  sometimes  adopted ;  but  it  is  much 
better  when  the  horse  strikes  a  trot  himself  without  these 
impediments.  This  he  is  most  likely  to  do  after  having 
been  driven  a  good  distance  and  got  tired.  The  reason 
that  should  prevent  us  from  driving  a  trotter  when  tired, 
for  fear  of  making  him  break  his  gait,  will  rather  be  for 
driving  the  pacer  when  a  little  tired ;  for  his  gait  is  not  one 
that  we  wish  to  preserve,  and  this  is  a  means  towards 
the  changing  of  it.  It  is  more  laborious  than  any  other 
way  of  going.  The  trotting-horse,  moving  the  near  fore- 
leg and  the  off  hind-leg  together,  and  then  the  off  fore-leg 
and  near  hind-leg  together,  keeps  upright,  and  is  like  a  ship 
sailing  steady  on  an  even  keel.  The  pacer,  moving  both 
near  legs  together  and  both  off  legs  together,  has  a  rocking 
motion,  like  that  of  a  ship  in  a  rolling  sea.  The  pacer, 
though  knowing  no  other  gait  but  a  gallop  or  a  walk  be- 
sides his  pace,  is  likely  to  change  it  for  the  first  time  when 
he  has  been  driven  so  far  with  that  movement  as  to  become 
tired.  If  he  then  strikes  a  trot  it  eases  him ;  and  it  then 
becomes  the  business  of  the  driver  to  encourage  him  in  his 
new  gait  by  every  means.  The  best  way  to  proceed  with  a 
pacer  that  has  struck  a  trot  in  this  manner  is  put  the  roll- 
ers on  him  the  next  time  he  goes  out.  The  effect  is  the 
same  on  him  as  on  the  young  trotter  whose  gait  has  been 
broken.  They  must  be  changed  from  leg  to  leg  as  occasion 
may  require ;  and  when  a  pacer  is  got  to  a  square  trot,  he 
is  to  be  kept  at  it  by  the  nicest  kind  of  handling.  Other 
fast  pacers  beside  those  I  have  mentioned  have  made  trot- 
ters. Among  them  there  was  American  Doe.  Sim  Hoag- 
land  handled  her ;  and  drove  her  trotting  in  2m.  39s.,  he 
weighing  more  than  two  hundred  pounds. 


VII. 

Horses  that  pa:e  and  trot  too.— Not  to  be  trusted  on  the  Course.— 
Trotters  that  amble  off  in  a  Pace  when  first  out  of  the  Stable.  —  Speed, 
and  its  Relation  to  Stoutness.  —  The  Gray  Mare  Peerless.  —  Styles  of 
Going.  —  Gait  of  Flora  Temple  and  Ethan  Allen.  —  Bush  Messenger's 
Get.  —  Vermont  Hambletonian's  Get.  —  Influence  -  of  Messenger.  —  Hob- 
bling hi  Jogging. 

I  LAST  spoke  of  the  natural  and  fast  pacers  which  had 
afterwards  taken  to  trotting,  and  made  fine  horses  for  the 
course  at  that  gait.  It  must  be  added,  that  much  care  and 
patience  are  necessary  in  the  treatment  and  handling  of 
them  while  they  are  in  the  time  of  transition  between  the 
pace  and  trot  and  not  thorough  at  either.  Some  remain  all 
their  lives  capable  of  pacing  and  trotting :  and  these  are 
useless  for  the  course,  by  reason  of  the  fact,  that,  if  matched 
to  pace,  they  may  strike  a  trot,  and  so  lose ;  and,  if  matched 
to  trot,  they  may  fall  into  a  pace,  and  lose  that  way.  But 
they  are  often  fine,  lasting  road-horses,  able  to  go  a  distance, 
and  to  make  such  fast  brushes  by  pacing  that  no  road-trot- 
ter can  get  by  them.  It  was  one  of  this  sort  that  beat  the 
dam  of  Flatbush  Maid  on  the  road  j  and  it  was  only  by 
changing  the  gait  that  it  was  done.  That  mare,  the  dam 
of  the  Maid,  was  a  good  one.  The  horse  who  got  the  little 
bay  out  of  her  was  a  pacer,  —  a  chestnut.  I  recollect  his 
winning  a  race  here  years  ago.  He  had  good  blood  in  him, 
and  could  trot  as  well  as  pace.  The  mare  was  one  of  the 
Messenger  tribe,  —  a  gray,  flea-bitten  about  the  head  and 
neck. 

Besides  those  who  pace  and   afterwards  make   reliable 
trotters,  and  those  who  pace  sometimes  and  trot  sometimes, 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  83 

there  is  a  class  that  begin  from  a  walk  in  an  ambling  pace, 
•and  go  from  that  into  the  finest  kind  of  a  fast  and  steady 
trot.  Some  of  our  very  best  trotters  of  old  times,  and 
modern  days  as  well,  have  had  this  habit  of  going  off  in  a 
little  pacing  amble  before  they  squared  away  in  the  flying 
trot.  I  like  this  kind.  They  begin  with  this  kind  of 
dainty  amble,  and  some  might  think  that  they  couldn't  tret 
much;  but  it  is  only  like  the  play  of  the  tiger  before  ho 
makes  his  spring.  It  is  interesting  to  note  the  difference 
in  trotting-horses  as  they  begin,  before  they  get  into  the 
stride.  Old  Topgallant  was  one  of  those  that  go  ambling 
off,  though  it  was  not  invariable  with  him :  it  was  with 
Tacony  and  with  Lady  Moscow.  Duchess,  wrho  beat  Lady 
Suffolk,  was  another  that  began  writh  this  sort  of  amble. 
Sontag  was  another ;  and,  more  than  that,  she  was  a  natural 
pacer  before  they  made  a  trotter  of  her.  It  may  be  judged 
that  she  was  a  good  trotter ;  for  when  Whelan  had  her  she 
beat  Flora  Temple,  who  was  in  Warren  Peabody's  hands. 
But  Flora  did  not  stay  beat  long.  The  very  next  week  I 
took  her,  and  beat  Whelan  and  Sontag  without  much 
trouble.  Three  of  the  best  mares  in  the  country  now  may 
be  noticed  as  going  off  with  the  kind  of  dainty  amble  that  I 
have  mentioned  as  a  characteristic  of  Topgallant,  Tacony, 
Lady  Moscow,  and  Sontag.  Mr.  Bonner's  gray  mare 
Peerless  always  does  it,  and  so  does  the  famous  chestnut 
Lady  Palmer.  The  other  I  now  call  to  mind  is  the  young 
gray  mare  that  Dan  Pfifer  has,  —  Mr.  Lorillard's  Blonde. 
She  goes  off  in  just  such  a  way.  This  young  mare  is  going 
to  be  very  remarkable  if  she  has  luck.  She  was  by  Hoag- 
land's  Gray  Messenger,  and  her  dam  by  Old  Abdallah. 
The  old  mare  was  a  vicious  jade,  and  of  no  use  whatever 
except  for  the  blood  that  was  in  her.  She  could  kick 
higher  than  a  man's  head,  and  frightened  one  or  two  in  this 
neighborhood,  who  tried  to  drive  her,  into  fits.  But  the 
union  between  her  and  Hoagland's  horse  just  hit  the  bull's- 
eye.  The  produce,  Blonde,  has  been  in  Pfifer's  hands  ever 


84  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

since  she  was  broken,  and  she  is  now  "  as  fast  as  a  ghost." 
She  is  only  five  years  old,  and  has  trotted  a  quarter  of  a  • 
mile  in  thirty-two  seconds  and  a  half.  If  she  gets  steady, 
as  there  is  reason  to  believe  she  will  with  further  handling, 
experience,  and  age,  she  is  going  to  be  one  of  our  very  best 
trotters. 

Some  people  say,  "  What's  the  use  of  a  horse  going  a 
quarter  fast  ? "  Now,  they  must  go  a  quarter  fast  before 
they  can  go  a  mile  fast ;  and,  when  I  have  one  that  can  go  a 
quarter  at  that  rate  at  five  years  old,  I  shall  take  very  good 
care  that  she  don't  go  that  lick  any  farther  just  then.  I 
drove  Mr.  Bonner's  gray  mare  Peerless  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
in  thirty  seconds,  and  it  was  to  a  wagon.  I  mentioned 
before  that  she  was  the  fastest  I  ever  drove  to  a  wagon,  or 
that  anybody  else  ever  did.  It  was  on  the  Union  Course. 
Capt.  Moore  timed  her,  unknown  to  me,  or  to  any  one 
else  but  himself.  He  had  his  race-horses  there  then,  and 
almost  slept  with  one  eye  open.  Afterwards  he  came  up  to 
my  house,  and  began  to  question  Crepe  Collins,  and  some  of 
the  others,  about  the  gray  mare  "  that  Hiram  had  been 
driving."  The  opinion  of  many  then  was,  that,  though  fast, 
she  could  only  go  a  quarter  of  a  mile ;  and  I  wanted  them  to 
think  so.  Crepe  knew  it,  and  made  some  misunderstand- 
able  sort  of  an  answer.  The  others  assured  the  captain 
that  she  was  of  "  no  account."  But  he  was  certain  that  he 
had  timed  her  right ;  and,  to  make  sure  that  there  was  no  mis- 
take in  the  distance,  he  went  and  got  his  chain  and  boy  and 
measured  the  ground.  This  mare,  that  people  thought  then 
could  only  go  a  quarter,  carried  me  afterwards  two  miles  to 
a  wagon,  Hoagland's  weight  some  three  hundred  and  eleven 
pounds,  and  finished  well  up  with  Lady  Palmer,  who  is  the 
best-bottomed  mare  to  weight  in  the  world,  and  one  of  the 
fastest. 

Gray  Eddy  was  another  of  the  kind  that  always  amble 
off;  and  a  capital  horse  he  was.  Flora  does  not  amble  to 
begin ;  but,  in  jogging  oif  slow,  she  goes  rolling  and  tumbling 


THE  TROTT1NG-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA.  85 

along,  as  if  she  had  no  gait  at  all,  and  was  capable  of  none. 
But  when  she  squares  away,  and  begins  to  deliver  the  real 
stroke,  she  has  as  fine  and  even  a  trot  as  any  horse  in  the 
world.  Her  gait,  in  the  rushes  of  lightning-speed  when 
she  darts  up  the  stretch,  is  as  square  as  ever  was  seen.  It 
would  be  impossible  for  her  to  go  as  fast  as  she  does  if  there 
was  any  hitch  about  her  then.  Ethan  Allen  goes  right  out 
of  his  tracks  in  a  square  trot  from  the  beginning,  and  very 
few  can  head  him  for  half  a  mile.  Ned  Forrest  and  Daniel 
D.  Tompkins,  the  two  that  trotted  at  Philadelphia  for  $5,000 
a  side,  went  square  from  the  walk  like  Ethan.  That  match 
was  three-mile  heats,  to  go  as  they  pleased,  on  the  Hunt- 
ing-park Course,  at  Philadelphia,  in  1838.  General  Cad- 
walladcr  owned  Ned  Forrest,  a  black  horse  of  unknown 
pedigree.  Mr.  Walton  owned  Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  and 
George  Youngs  rode  him.  He  came  from  Massachusetts, 
and  was  of  the  Maine,  or  Bush-Messenger,  blood.  That 
Bush  Messenger  was  one  of  the  last  colts  that  old  Messen- 
ger got,  if  not  the  very  last.  James  Hammil  rode  the 
black  horse ;  but  Daniel  D.  won  the  first  heat  in  such  style 
that  General  Cadwallader  sold  out  his  chance  in  the  race 
for  five  hundred  dollars.  Anderson  &  Spicer,  of  New  York, 
bought  it,  and  put  Forrest  in  harness.  Spicer  got  in  and 
drove  him,  but  the  other  won  it  without  any  trouble. 
Daniel  D.  Tompkins  was  brought  from  Massachusetts  to 
New  York  in  1834.  I  handled  him  then.  He  was  a  good 
little  horse,  a  chestnut,  under  fifteen  hands,  with  pluck 
enough  for  the  biggest  that  ever  trotted. 

This  Bush,  or  Maine-Messenger,  line  was  another  very 
good  ramification  of  the  Messenger  blood,  and  of  great 
value  to  Maine  and  Massachusetts.  The  horse  got  a  large 
number  of  fine  trotters  and  some  first-rate  ones.  The 
latter  were  nearly  all  chestnuts.  I  mentioned  this  fact  to 
the  friend  who  sometimes  comes  here  to  "  talk  horse  "  with 
me ;  and  says  he,  "  Now  here's  a  glorious  confirmation  of 
the  old  maxim,  '  Like  produces  like,  or  the  likeness  of  some 


86  THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA. 

ancestor!'  The  Gray  Messengers  take  after  Mambrino, 
old  Messenger's  sire  ;  these  chestnut-Bush  Messengers  take 
after  Blaze  and  Flying  Childers,  the  sire  and  grandsire  of 
Sampson,  who  got  Engineer,  Mambrino's  sire.  Now,  here 
you  see,  Hiram,  is  a  proof." 

"  Stop  !  "  says  I.  "  What  you  say  is  all  very  fine ;  but  I 
think  it  just  as  likely  that  the  Bush  Messenger's  dam 
was  a  chestnut,  as  that  his  colts  were  thrown  back  to 
Flying  Childers." 

The  Bush  Messenger,  besides  Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  got 
Gen.  Taylor,  a  very  famous  trotter  and  sticker :  he  was 
also  a  chestnut.  Henry  was  another  of  the  tribe,  and  the 
same.  Independence  another,  and  a  chestnut.  And  Fanny 
Pullen  another  of  the  same  color.  She  had  Trustee,  the 
twenty-miler,  by  imported  Trustee ;  and  he  was  also  a  chest- 
nut horse.  Considering  the  good  blood  he  inherited  on 
both  sides,  it  is  no  great  wonder  that  he  was  a  horse  of 
such  bottom  and  endurance.  The  Eaton  horse,  in  Maine, 
is  a  near  descendant  of  the  Bush  Messenger ;  and  he  has 
kept  up  that  line  of  trotters.  Shepherd  F.  Knapp  is  one 
of  his  colts.  While  Maine  had  the  Bush  Messenger, 
Vermont  got  the  blood  of  the  old  imported  horse  through 
Hambletonian,  who  was  really  a  grandson  of  his. 
This  horse  got  as  good  trotters  as  the  Bush  Messenger. 
He  was  the  sire  of  True  John,  Green-Mountain  Maid, 
Gray  Vermont,  and  Sontag,  —  all  first-rate  horses.  So  it  is 
clear,  that  besides  the  lines  through  Mambrino  and  Abdal- 
lah,  and  through  Mambrino,  Mambrino  Paymaster,  and 
Mambrino  Chief,  which  diffused  the  blood  of  Messenger 
over  Long  Island,  through  New- York  State  at  large,  and 
in  the  blue-grass  regions  of  Kentucky,  there  are  to  be 
taken  into  account  those  of  the  Bush  Messenger  and  Ham- 
bletonian, who  carried  the  strain  into  the  Eastern  States. 

It  is  curious  to  estimate  the  influence  of  one  horse, 
especially  if  he  lives  to  a  great  age,  gets  stallions  that 
become  noted,  and  stock  distinguished  for  fine  constitution 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  87 

and  longevity.  Messenger  covered  some  twenty  seasons  in 
this  country ;  and  as  he  had  plenty  of  mares,  and  was  a 
sure  foal-getter,  he  must  have  been  the  sire  of  about  a 
thousand  horses.  Then  conies  the  fact  that  his  sons  were 
as  long-lived  and  as  thoroughly  employed  in  the  work  of 
increase  as  himself,  and  that  his  grandsons  continued  to 
possess  the  fine  qualities  and  peculiar  gifts  which  he  owned 
and  conferred.  In  this  way,  and  taking  into  account  the 
singular  faculty  these  horses  have  had  of  stamping  the 
living  image  of  their  line  upon  their  produce,  and  of  infus- 
ing into  their  sons  and  daughters  the  less  tangible  but  not 
less  real  attributes  of  pluck,  resolution,  and  endurance,  we 
shall  be  enabled  to  make  some  .estimate  of  the  incalculable 
influence  Messenger  has  had  upon  the  trotting-stock  of  this 
country. 

It  has  been  found  that  the  blood  of  this  famous  horse 
"  hits "  with  almost  any  other  strain ;  perhaps  it  would 
be  more  correct  to  say,  that  the  constitution  of  the  Messen- 
gers is  so  good,  and  their  individuality  so  strongly  marked, 
that,  in  the  produce  of  their  crosses  with  other  families,  their 
blood  always  predominates.  With  the  Stars  it  is  of  the 
greatest  value.  The  noted  horse  Brown  Dick,  whose  trot- 
ting education  was  received  during  the  three  or  four  years 
he  was  in  the  hands  of  Dan  Pfifer,  was  the  first  of  this 
cross  that  attracted  my  notice.  His  history  is  this :  A  man 
named  Dubois,  who  lived  up  in  Orange  or  Duchess 
County,  had  a  colt  by  Star,  that  was  wicked,  and  not 
thought  much  of.  Dubois,  being  in  New  York,  bought 
an  old  gray  mare  of  the  Messenger  blood,  out  of  a 
cart,  and,  taking  her  home,  had  her  covered  by  the  Star 
colt  before  he  was  made  a  gelding.  The  produce  was 
Brown  Dick.  His  dam  was  a  pacer;  but  the  colt  soon 
became  a  fast  and  reliable  trotter  under  Pfifer's  manage- 
ment. He  first  trotted  at  six  years  old.  His  best  race 
was  against  Patchen ;  and  he  won  it  in  2.28,  2.25£,  2.28. 
He  and  Patchen  and  Miller's  Damsel  trotted  another 


88  THE  TROTT1NG-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

famous  race  on  the  Union  Course.  There  were  five  heats ; 
and  the  time  was  2.26£,  2.26£,  2.29,  2.28f ,  2.29.  Five 
heats  all  inside  of  2.30  was  no  common  performance.  The 
stallion  finally  won  it,  which  was  a  proof  of  his  staying 
powers. 

To  conclude  with  the  different  ways  trotting-horses  have 
of  beginning,  it  will  be  as  well  to  mention,  that  I  have 
known  some  who  hobbled  off  at  first  as  if  they  were  lame. 
I  could  name  some  who  would  have  been  pronounced  lame, 
when  led  out  with  a  halter  or  driven  at  a  slow  jog,  by 
almost  any  horseman,  but  were,  nevertheless,  perfectly 
sound,  and  only  required  to  be  suffered  to  go  along  at  a 
good  gait  to  establish  the  fact.  I  have  known  one  or  two 
very  famous  trotters  that  went  as  if  they  were  lame  all 
round  when  jogging  slow.  I  have  heard  of  running-horses 
of  whom  the  same  was  said.  The  Queen  of  Trumps,  a 
famous  English  mare  by  Velocipede  out  of  Princess  Royal, 
had  this  peculiarity.  I  am  told,  that,  when  she  was  saddled 
for  the  Oaks,  any  man  who  did  not  know  of  it  would  have 
made  oath  that  she  was  lame  on  all-fours.  But  she  won 
the  race  with  ease,  and  afterwards  carried  off  the  St.  Leger 
"  in  a  walk,"  as  our  friends  over  the  water  say.  A.  J. 
Minor,  the  able  and  clever  gentleman  who  trained  for  Mr. 
Ten  Broeck  in  England,  and  now  has  charge  of  Kentucky 
and  Mr.  Hunter's  horses,  tells  a  good  story  about  that 
saying.  A  horse  called  Tom  something,  —  I  forgot  what, — 
ran  a  race  for  a  cup  at  a  country  meeting,  and,  with  a  very 
large  allowance  of  steel  and  whalebone  at  the  finish,  got 
the  award  in  his  favor  by  half  a  head.  Minor  says  he  had 
about  a  hundred  stripes  in  the  last  fifty  strides.  As  he  was 
being  led  off  to  the  stable,  some  of  the  trainer's  friends, 
who  had  not  seen  the  race,  met  them,  and  cried  out,  "  How 
about  t'  race  for  t7  coop  ?  "  —  "  Oh,  the  cup ! "  says  the 
trainer,  swinging  his  hat  in  the  air,  "  why,  old  Tom  won  in 
a  walk." 

I  have  found  some  horses  that  were  not  lame,  but  went 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  89 

as  if  they  were,  by  reason  of  one  leg  being  a  little  snorter 
than  the  other.  Sometimes  there's  a  difference  in  the  fore- 
legs ;  at  others  it  is  in  the  hind  ones.  Careful  observation 
by  a  man  of  experience  will  detect  this,  and  the  remedy  is 
easy.  The  horse  must  be  levelled  by  a  thicker  shoe  on  the 
short  side. 


VIII. 

Treatment  the  Winter  before  Training.  —  Frozen  and  Slippery  Roads  Bad. 
—  Fattening  up,  an  Evil.  —  The  Feed  in  Winter.  —  Treatment  in  complete 
Let-up.  —  Clothing.  —  The  Feet.  —  "  Freezing  out  "  Mischievous.  — 
Horses  that  need  Blistering.  —  Food  and  Treatment.  —  Stabling  all 
Winter.  —  Treatment  and  Exercise.  —  Constitution  to  be  kept  in 
View.  —  Shedding-Time.  —  Walking  Exercise.  —  Jogging.  —  No  Fast 
Work  at  First.  —  No  Physic  commonly  required. 

1)  EFOKE  entering  upon  the  training  of  the  trotter,  it 
I  3  will  be  necessary  to  say  something  in  regard  to  his 
treatment  during  the  preceding  winter ;  for  upon  that  a  good 
deal  depends  as  to  the  method  and  time  which  will  be  re- 
quired to  get  him  into  condition.  If  he  has  been  trained  and 
trotted  in  the  previous  summer  and  fall,  his  system  at  the 
beginning  of  the  cold  weather  is  sure  to  be  somewhat  in  an 
inflammatory  state  from  high  feeding ;  and  it  is  probable  that 
his  legs  will  be  a  little  stale  from  the  amount  of  work  they 
have  undergone,  and  the  severity  with  which  he  has,  perhaps, 
banged  them  about.  Various  methods  and  degrees  of  treat- 
ment may  be  adopted,  and  the  choice  of  them  should  de- 
pend altogether  upon  the  state  and  constitution  of  the 
horse.  If  he  is  of  a  hardy  habit,  is  in  robust  health,  and 
his  legs  are  all  right,  he  may  as  well  be  driven  moderately 
during  the  winter,  and  kept  as  road-horses  are.  Care  is  to 
be  taken,  of  course,  that  he  is  not  suffered  to  extend  him- 
self upon  rough,  hard  roads ;  and  I  think  those  w^ho  have 
him  in  charge  should  be  wary  of  sleighing,  and  of  driv- 
ing when  the  roads  are  frozen  and  slippery.  The  horse 
may  be  shod  how  you  please ;  but  ingenuity  cannot  prevent 
his  slipping  and  sliding  to  some  extent,  when  before  a  sleigh 

90 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE   OF  AMERICA.  91 

or  a  wagon,  upon  a  frozen  road.  He  is  therefore  liable  at 
such  times  to  wrench  and  strain  the  muscles  and  ligaments; 
and,  though  no  mischief  may  be  apparent,  the  wear  and  tear 
is  by  no  means  as  moderate  as  it  is  supposed  to  be,  even 
though  he  is  driven  slow. 

Care  must  also  be  taken  that  he  is  not  fattened  up. 
Some  horses  make  flesh  very  fast  when  their  work  is 
small  and  irregular,  and  load  the  intestines  and  heart  to 
such  a  degree,  that  the  trainer  has  no  end  of  trouble  and 
anxiety  to  get  it  off.  It  is  not  only  useless,  but  positively 
mischievous ;  and  hence  the  grain  is  to  be  reduced  in  win- 
ter to  a  little  more  than  half  the  quantity  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  consume  when  in  training.  With  this  he  may 
have  a  few  carrots  now  and  then,  and  a  bran-mash  occasion- 
ally. The  hay  he  has  should  be  good,  clean,  and  sweet. 
Sufficient  attention  to  this  matter  will  well  repay  the 
little  extra  expense  and  trouble  which  may  be  called  for  to 
secure  it. 

Should  it  be  found,  at  the  end  of  the  season,  that  the 
trotter  is  stale,  that  his  constitutional  health  and  vigor  are 
somewhat  impaired,  and  his  legs  the  worse  for  wear,  it  will 
not  be  wise  to  drive  him  during  the  winter.  Instead  of 
that,  he  may  have  a  complete  let-up,  with  a  loose  box,  and 
a  small  outside  lot  to  run  in.  The  good  rest  is  Nature's 
great  restorative,  when  the  constitutional  powers  have  been 
heavily  taxed  by  a  long  course  of  training,  and  severe 
work  upon  the  course  in  the  engagements  the  trotter  may 
have  been  called  upon  to  fulfil.  To  prepare  him  for  his 
wintering,  you  should  begin  by  gradually  removing  the 
clothes  in  which  he  has  been  accustomed  to  stand  in  the 
stable ;  for  during  the  time  he  runs  out  he  is  to  have  no 
artificial  protection  against  the  weather  but  that  which  the 
shelter  of  his  box  will  afford  when  he  seeks  it.  His  own 
coat  is  to  be  his  only  clothing.  His  shoes  should  be  pulled 
off;  and  his  feet  may  be  pared  down,  so  as  to  remove  the 
bruised  and  broken  edges  of  the  crust  and  prepare  for  the 


92  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

even  growth  which  will  follow.  A  pair  of  short  tips  may 
then  be  put  upon  the  fore-feet,  which  will  prevent  the  hoof 
from  being  broken,  and  let  the  horse  down  upon  his  heels  so 
as  to  make  them  expand,  and  prevent  any  tendency  towards 
contraction.  During  the  period  that  he  thus  runs  out,  all 
grooming  and  dressing  of  the  coat  may  be  dispensed  with ; 
and  the  grain  fed  to  him  is  only  to  be  about  half  of  that 
svhich  he  has  had  when  training,  and  was  kept  up  to  the 
trotting-mark.  In  this  way  the  horse  may  be  expected  to 
winter  well,  and  to  renew,  in  a  measure,  the  freshness  and 
elasticity  of  youth.  In  my  opinion,  this  system  is  much  to 
be  preferred  to  that  often  adopted  of  turning  the  horse  out 
into  a  field,  to  endure  the  bitter  blasts  and  intensely  cold 
nights  of  a  severe  winter,  with  nothing  but  a  hovel  for 
shelter,  and  sometimes  not  that.  Because  training  or  the 
performance  of  difficult  feats  requires  high  feed,  sweats,  and 
some  degree  of  artificial  warmth,  I  can  see  no  reason  why 
die  horse  should  be  subjected  to  another  violent  extreme 
when  let  up. 

A  horse  turned  loose  to  undergo  this  "freezing  out,"  as  it 
is  called,  is  apt  to  be  neglected  as  to  feed  as  well;  and, 
though  he  may  escape  any  violent  active  disorder,  he  is 
liable  to  come  up  in  the  spring  reduced  in  flesh,  general 
health  and  vitality,  much  and  permanently  impaired  in  the 
wind,  and  worse  off  in  every  way  than  he  would  have  been 
if  treated  according  to  the  other  system.  Besides  this, 
horses  turned  loose  upon  the  frozen  turf  are  apt  to  do  more 
hurt  to  their  legs  than  the  treatment  is  at  all  likely  to  cure ; 
and  I  can  see  no  advantage  to  be  gained  by  the  "  freezing- 
out  "  plan,  in  any  point  of  view. 

Another  class  of  horses  whose  case  must  be  considered 
embraces  those  whose  legs  are  in  such  a  state  that  blister- 
ing or  firing  has  to  be  resorted  to.  These  should  be  kept 
in  the  stable  altogether  during  the  active  part  of  the  treat- 
ment ;  and  their  food  should  be  of  a  light,  cooling  descrip- 
tion, consisting  of  mashes  and  carrots  to  a  considerable 


THE  TROTTING-HOHSE  OF  AMERICA.  93 

extent,  and  without  oats  while  the  feverish,  inflammatory 
symptoms  prevail.  Physic  is  not  required,  as  a  general 
rule ;  but  cases  will  arise  in  which  a  fevered  and  an  inflam- 
matory condition  may  demand  the  use  of  a  ball,  or  other 
light  dose  of  medicine.  When  the  immediate  effects  of  the 
active  treatment  by  the  blister  or  firing  are  over,  the  horse 
may  have  a  loose  box  and  a  lot  outside  the  same,  as  is  rec- 
ommended for  those  not  fired  or  blistered,  Care  must  be 
taken  while  the  blister  is  on  that  the  horse  is  securely  tied ; 
for,  if  not,  he  may  rub  and  even  gnaw  the  part  so  as  to 
injure  the  sinews  under  treatment.  His  food  should  be 
altogether  soft,  unless  he  has  engagements  in  the  spring. 
In  that  case,  he  must  be  given  from  four  to  six  quarts  of 
oats  a  day,  according  to  his  constitution  and  the  existing 
state  of  his  system.  On  the  one  hand,  he  must  not  be  suf- 
fered to  get  flabby  and  washy  by  too  much  soft  food  when 
engaged ;  and,  on  the  other,  care  must  be  taken  that  he  does 
not  put  on  flesh  and  make  much  internal  fat  during  this 
time  of  rest.  If  the  former  error  is  fallen  into,  he  will  be 
unable  to  stand  the  work  of  an  early  preparation,  and  will 
come  to  the  post  weakened  and  with  poor  wind.  If  the  lat- 
ter mistake  is  made,  and  he  is  found  loaded  with  too  much 
flesh  when  taken  in  hand  in  the  spring,  he  may  be  overdone 
in  the  getting  of  it  off,  and  come  up  to  trot  in  bad  heart, 
sore  all  over,  and  deficient  in  speed.  The  feed  of  moderate 
quantities  of  oats,  with  mashes,  hay,  and  some  carrots,  will 
commonly  answer  best.  The  horse  will  make  flesh  then,  if 
he  is  in  health  and  his  stomach  has  recovered  its  tone ;  but 
the  superfluity  resulting  from  this  diet  will  be  more  easily 
got  off  than  that  produced  by  a  higher  allowance  of  strong 
food.  There  is  plenty  of  room  for  the  exercise  of  sound 
judgment  in  this  matter;  and  the  discretion  therein  should 
not  be  left,  as  it  too  often  is,  to  some  well-meaning  but  in- 
experienced person,  whose  only  plan  is  to  give  the  horse  all 
he  will  eat  of  all  sorts  of  feed. 

It  is  my  conviction  that  flesh  can  only  be  got  off  in  the 


94  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

spring  by  slow  degrees  with  safety.  The  physicking  and 
sweating  sometimes  recommended,  and  often  resorted  to,  are 
mischievous,  in  my  opinion ;  and  I  know  that  any  thing  like 
rapid  work  and  hurry  at  the  beginning,  with  a  horse  over- 
fed during  the  winter,  and  very  likely  infirm  in  his  legs, 
will  be  apt  to  knock  him  off  before  he  has  got  the  use  of 
them,  or  the  muscles  and  sinews  have  recovered  much  of 
their  tone.  There  is  another  way  of  wintering  trotting- 
horses,  which,  having  engagements  in  the  spring,  are  to  be 
prepared  at  an  early  period  to  fulfil  them.  When  such  a, 
horse  is  found  to  be  clean  and  strong  upon  his  legs  at  the 
close  of  the  season,  and  the  trainer  knows  that  he  was  then 
all  right  and  in  fine  health  and  freshness,  as  well  as  in  hard 
condition,  an  intermediate  way  of  wintering  may  be  wisely 
adopted.  Instead  of  being  driven  on  the  road  as  was  first 
mentioned,  or  turned  into  the  loose  box  with  run  of  the  lot 
as  was  next  described,  the  horse  may  be  kept  in  the  stable 
all  the  winter,  which  is  to  say  in  a  loose  box.  His  clothing 
is  to  be  reduced  to  a  thin  sheet ;  and  the  food,  according  to 
his  constitution  and  heartiness,  will  be  regulated  pretty 
much  like  that  of  the  one  that  runs  in  the  box  and  lot. 
He  may  have  soft  food  enough  to  cool  him  out,  such  as  a 
few  carrots  every  other  day,  and  a  bran-mash  now  and 
then.  Large  quantities  of  carrots  are  not  to  be  given; 
and  car  3  is  to  be  taken  that  he  has  stout  feed  enough  to 
keep  h's  flesh  firm  and  elastic.  Exercise,  every  day  that 
the  weather  will  admit  of,  under  saddle  or  by  leading,  is  to 
be  given ;  and  his  coat  may  receive  a  nice  little  dressing 
once  or  twice  a  day. 

This  horse  being  directly  under  the  trainer's  eye  all  the 
time,  and  treated  with  a  view  to  his  early  preparation  and 
trotting,  will  be  kept  much  nearer  the  mark  of  condition 
than  those  before  mentioned,  and  will  be  apt  to  take  his 
work  in  the  spring  of  the  coming  year  with  better  pluck 
and  less  risk  than  any  of  them.  It  remains  to  be  added 
here,  that  horses  turned  out  into  the  field  should  have  a 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  95 

good  feed  of  oats  twice  a  day.  Their  exposure  to  the 
severity  of  the  weather  demands  food  calculated  to  keep 
up  their  animal  heat,  and  compensate  for  the  rapid  waste 
which  must  be  going  on  through  the  efforts  of  nature  to 
supply  adequate  warmth.  Yet  it  is  too  often  the  case  that 
the  horse  gets  no  grain  at  all,  and  that  the  hay  fed  to  him 
is  of  poor  quality.  Reduced  vitality,  and  loss  of  strength, 
are  sure  to  follow  a  course  of  modified  starvation,  and  very 
frequently  worms  and  the  heaves  are  among  the  con- 
sequences which  it  entails.  For  these  reasons,  in  addition 
to  those  before  mentioned,  the  turning-out  of  horses  used 
to  good  stabling,  high  feed,  and  warm  clothing  into  the 
field,  to  rough  it  during  the  winter  season,  is  to  be  avoided. 

With  reference  to  the  feeding  of  those  either  driven  on 
the  road,  kept  in  the  stable  and  exercised,  or  run  in  the  box 
and  lot,  I  repeat  that  the  loading  up  with  flesh  and  internal 
fat  is  to  be  guarded  against.  The  constitution  of  the  horse 
himself  is  to  be  the  main  guide  of  whoever  may  have  him 
in  charge,  as  to  the  amount  of  grain  to  be  fed.  If  he  is 
naturally  washy  and  soft,  and  given  to  sweat  easily  and 
profusely,  he  should  be  kept  on  stronger  feed  and  have 
fewer  mashes  and  carrots  than  one  of  the  opposite  tendency. 
In  all  cases,  however,  the  diet  may  be  cool,  and  the  bowels 
kept  easy  during  this  period  of  rest.  The  system  of  each 
horse  must  be  studied  and  understood  in  order  to  profitable 
and  proper  treatment  in  this  regard ;  for  the  conclusion  of 
every  man  of  sense  and  experience  touching  it  is,  that  there 
are  hardly  any  two  alike. 

As  I  have  before  remarked,  the  horse  who  is  turned  loose 
to  run  in  a  lot,  with  a  box  to-  go  into  when  he  is  inclined  to 
do  so,  will  be  altogether  without  clothes.  The  one  that  has 
been  under  treatment  by  blister  or  actual  cautery  will  be 
better  for  a  light  blanket  without  a  hood.  And  that  kept 
in  a  loose  box,  and  exercised  upon  the  road  or  an  exercise- 
ground,  under  saddle  or  in  leading-reins,  will  require  noth- 
ing but  a  thin  sheet. 


b6  THE  TROTTING-HORSE   OF  AMERICA. 

In  the  spring,  the  shedding  of  the  coat  is  rather  a  critical 
time  with  the  horse ;  and  it  is  a  bad  practice  to  attempt  to 
hurry  this  operation  of  nature.  Many  people  are  over- 
anxious to  see  their  horses  shed  early ;  and  it  is  true,  that 
to  be  backward  in  shedding  is  not  a  sign  of  a  high  state 
of  health.  But  it  does  not  follow  that  means  shall  be 
taken  to  loosen  and  remove  the  old  coat  before  the  constitu- 
tion is  quite  ready  to  renew  it,  and  has,  in  fact,  begun  to 
do  so.  The  hair  should  be  suffered  to  come  off  naturally ; 
and  as  the  lads  in  care  of  good  horses  are  anxious  to  get 
rid  of  it  early,  so  that  they  may  present  a  fine  appearance 
the  sooner,  it  will  be  proper  to  see  that  they  do  not  rub  it 
off.  Some  people  give  boiled  flaxseed  or  linseed-meal  and 
the  like  to  make  their  horses  shed  early  j  but  I  am  opposed 
to  the  practice,  being  convinced  that  it  is  dangerous  and 
mischievous.  This  sort  of  poulticing  inside  opens  the 
pores,  starts  the  coat,  and  sets  the  horse  to  sweating  before 
the  season  is  sufficiently  advanced  to  warrant  it ;  and  the 
risk  of  coughs,  and  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  is  thereby 
needlessly  increased.  The  bran-mashes,  by  which  the 
horse's  bowels  have  been  kept  in  regular  order,  may  be 
adhered  to,  but  the  flaxseed  and  linseed  should  not  be  given. 
The  tendency  of  them  is  to  relax  the  system  suddenly, 
and  to  cause  the  old  hair  to  come  away  before  the  new  coat 
is  well  started  to  take  its  place. 

As  the  weather  gets  bright  and  favorable,  the  horse's 
exercise  may  be  increased  under  saddle,  or  in  leading-reins, 
from  two  to  four  miles.  The  mettled,  high-strung  horse 
must  have  more  of  this  walking  than  the  others ;  but  they 
should  all  have  enough  to  moderate  their  exuberant  spirits 
at  coming  out,  and  to  stop  their  dancing,  capering,  and 
setting  their  backs  up  at  every  thing  they  meet.  This  is 
not  to  be  regarded  as  a  part  of  the  training  proper ;  but  still 
it  is  necessary  that  it  should  be  attended  to,  for  in  these 
walks  the  muscles  are  gradually  getting  their  tone,  and  the 
horse  is  being  thus  prepared  for  the  jogging  with  which  his 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  97 

training  really  begins.  We  have  all  of  us  experienced  how 
soon  we  get  tired  with  walking,  and  how  even  standing  up 
for  a  considerable  time  pains  the  muscles  of  the  legs  at 
first,  after  a  season  of  repose  and  inactivity.  This  should 
convince  us,  that,  after  the  rest  the  horse  has  had  during  the 
winter,  the  change  to  work  should  be  gradual  and  slow  at 
first.  As  soon  as  the  horse  has  been  thus  prepared,  and 
the  roads  and  weather  have  become  sufficiently  favorable, 
he  may  be  put  in  harness  or  to  a  wagon,  and  his  jogging 
may  begin.  Whether  he  shall  go  in  a  sulky  or  to  a  wagon 
should  depend  upon  his  disposition,  in  a  great  measure ;  but 
it  will  be  also  necessary  to  consider  the  nature  of  the 
engagements  he  is  under  in  the  early  part  of  the  coming 
season.  The  distance  he  is  to  be  jogged  must  be  according 
to  his  constitution  and  ability  to  perform  without  fatigue ; 
and  of  this  the  trainer  must  judge  from  what  he  knows  of 
him,  in  reference  to  former  experience,  and  what  he 
observes  as  the  horse  goes  from  day  to  day.  A  good  deal 
of  caution  is  necessary  at  first ;  for,  until  hardened  a  little  by 
custom,  the  horse  will  be  easily  overdone,  and  a  great  deal 
of  time  will  be  lost  solely  by  reason  of  having  been  in  too 
great  a  hurry.  No  rule  can  be  laid  down  for  the  amount 
of  jogging  the  horse  should  have :  it  is  a  matter  for  the 
judgment  of  the  trainer,  in  view  of  the  nature  of  the 
animal  being  trained,  and  of  the  effect  that  it  is  observed 
to  have  on  him  as  it  is  carried  on. 

For  the  first  week  or  ten  days,  there  is  to  be  no  fast  work 
at  all ;  but,  at  the  expiration  of  that  time,  the  muscles  and 
tendons  ought  to  be  seasoned  enough  to  justify  the  trainer 
in  indulging  the  horse  with  slight  spurts.  In  these  he  may 
be  permitted  to  move  along  lively  without  over-taxing  his 
powers  or  his  wind.  No  rule  can  be  given  as  to  their 
length.  The  only  thing  to  be  said  is,  that  they  ought  not 
to  be  very  frequent  and  never  long.  The  judgment  of  the 
trainer  should  enable  him  to  determine  how  frequent  they 
may  be,  and  to  what  distance  he  may  venture  to  send  him 


98  THE  TROTTING-JIOESE  OF  AMERICA. 

without  danger  of  overdoing  the  thing.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered, that,  at  this  early  stage  of  his  preparation,  the  horse 
can  bear  very  little  compared  with  that  which  he  will 
endure  with  ease,  and  which  may  be  undertaken  with  im- 
punity, when  his  condition  has  become  forward.  It  is  a 
rule  with  some  to  administer  physic  before  the  work  of  the 
horse  is  commenced,  but  I  have  never  been  able  to  perceive 
the  wisdom  of  such  a  course.  It  is  to  be  supposed,  that,  if 
the  horse  has  been  wintered  well,  the  secretions  will  be 
moderately  active,  and  the  bowels  regular  when  the  time 
to  commence  work  comes.  In  such  a  case,  what  necessity 
can  there  be  for  physicking?  It  may  be  apparent  that 
some  medicine  is  required  to  abate  internal  heat  and  humor, 
or  it  may  happen  that  the  horse  is  gross  and  fleshy  from 
having  been  overfed  while  standing  still.  In  such  cases  a 
mild  dose  of  medicine  may  be  given  with  advantage ;  but, 
instead  of  administering  it  before  the  work  is  begun,  I 
commonly  prefer  to  jog  for  a  few  days,  then  let  up,  and  give 
the  medicine.  The  work,  of  course,  is  not  to  be  resumed 
until  the  effects  of  the  mild  course  have  passed  off;  and  then 
it  is  to  be  carried  on  with  quite  as  much  care  as  in  those 
cases  where  there  was  no  necessity  for  physic  perceived. 


IX. 


Feed  while  Jogging.  —  Brushing  in  the  Work.  —  Length  of  the  Brush.  — 
Advance  of  Condition  to  be  noted.  —  The  Peed. —  The  first  Trial. — 
Of  the  Sweats.  —  Feed  and  Clothing  After-wards.  —  Tight  Bandaging 
bad. 

"TTT^HILE  the  jogging,  the  first  part  of  the  trotting- 
V  V  horse's  preparation,  is  in  progress,  the  strength  of 
the  feed  may  be  increased,  though  not  up  to  the  extent  that 
will  be  requisite  when  the  work  is  made  longer  and  sharper. 
He  may  have,  during  this  first  part  of  the  preparation, 
from  eight  to  ten  quarts  of  oats  a  day,  according  to  his 
capacity  as  a  feeder,  and  the  demands  made  by  nature  for 
supply  of  strong  food  under  work.  As  the  oats  are  in- 
creased, the  horse  will  want  less  hay,  but  may  still  have  all 
that  he  will  eat  up  clean.  After  taking  his  feed  of  oats, 
he  will  not  consume  as  much  hay  in  general.  But  some 
horses  are  such  gluttons  that  it  is  necessary  to  limit  them 
as  to  hay,  almost  from  the  first.  There  are  even  some  who 
will  eat  the  straw  of  their  bedding  when  they  have  had  all 
the  grain  and  hay  that  ought  to  be  fed  to  them ;  and,  with 
these,  it  sometimes  becomes  necessary  to  put  on  the  muzzle 
long  before  the  time  for  the  trial  or  the  race.  No  carrots 
are  now  to  be  given,  and  I  believe  corn  to  be  unnecessary 
and  often  mischievous.  It  is  heating,  and  does  not  contain 
as  much  of  the  stuff  that  goes  to  make  up  hard  flesh  and 
elastic  muscle  as  oats.  There  may  be  instances,  however, 
in  which  a  light  feeder  can  be  got  to  eat  up  his  oats  and  a 
handful  of  corn  as  well,  when  the  latter  is  mixed  with 
them.  In  such  a  case  it  is  well  to  give  it ;  but  in  no  case 

99 


100  THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA. 

should  corn  be  used  as  a  substitute  for  the  allowance  of  oata 
tl'j  horse  in  training  ought  to  have. 

While  the  jogging  and  after-preparation  are  going  on,  a 
bran-mash  now  and  then  will  be  proper.  Probably  about 
once  a  week  will  be  often  enough,  and  not  too  often ;  but 
this  will  be  indicated  by  the  condition  of  the  horse's  bowels 
and  by  his  constitutional  tendencies  and  requirements.  If 
his  bowels  are  relaxed,  the  use  of  the  bran-mash  is  not 
apparent;  and  if  he  is  of  the  light,  washy  order,  never 
having  much  substance,  and  easily  melting  away  when  put 
into  sharp  training-work,  mashes  are  to  be  given  more 
sparingly  than  with  one  of  the  opposite  character.  The 
trainer  is  never  to  relax  his  vigilance  of  observation,  or  let 
his  judgment  go  to  sleep  and  trust  to  arbitrary  rules. 

After  the  week  or  ten  days  of  moderate  jogging,  which 
has  been  directed  to  begin  with,  the  muscles,  tendons,  and 
joints  will  have  got  some  tone,  and  the  wind  have  improved 
sufficiently  to  allow  of  the  horse  being  sent  along  at  half 
speed ;  and  he  may  be  started  up  and  moved  at  three-quar- 
ter speed  for  about  half  a  mile.  This  brush  of  half  a  mile 
at  three-quarter  speed  may  be  increased  if  the  horse  feels 
fine,  wants  to  do  all  he  knows,  and  improves  under  his 
work.  The  next  step  will  be,  as  soon  as  you  perceive  that 
he  stands  up  well  to  his  work,  comes  out  cheerfully,  and 
takes  it  with  a  relish,  to  brush  him  along  at  speed  for  a 
quarter  of  a  mile,  or  even  for  half  a  mile,  according  as  the 
distance  is  indicated  in  the  individual  case.  This  brush  will 
open  his  pipes,  and,  by  making  him  blow,  set  the  machinery 
in  motion  which  is  to  give  him  wind  and  throw  out  the 
blood  from  the  internal  organs  when  he  is  called  upon  to 
make  his  extraordinary  efforts  in  the  race.  He  is  not,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  to  be  forced  in  pace  up  to  the  extreme 
that  he  may  be  capable  of  in  a  close  brush  with  another 
horse,  when  the  stakes  are  up  and  the  heat  hangs  in  the 
balance.  Care  is  also  to  be  taken  that  his  natural  ardor 
and  willingness  are  not  suffered  to  lead  into  difficulties. 


THE  TR  0  TTING-1IORS$  OF  *AMF,P;1&A  ; "-,          1 01 

High-strung,  generous  horses  are  apt  to  want  t )  do  more 
work  and  to  do  it  faster  than  is  good  for  them ;  and  this 
frequently  misleads  inexperienced  persons,  who  seeing  them 
all  on  fire  to  go,  and  never  satisfied  unless  suffered  to  cut 
loose,  imagine  that  it  can  do  no  harm  to  indulge  them  when 
they  feel  so  fine.  These  are  just  the  horses  that  require  to 
be  watched  narrowly,  and  taken  in  hand;  for  their 
exuberant  spirits  and  eagerness  to  perform  are  not  often 
accompanied  with  the  power  to  keep  on  and  stand  up  under 
a  severe  preparation  at  such  a  rate.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  are  others  lazily  inclined,  but  requiring  a  great 
amount  of  work  to  make  them  fit.  These  are  commonly 
able  to  bear  as  much  as  it  is  deemed  necessary  to  give  them 
and  they  must  be  wakened  up  from  time  to  time,  so  as  to 
make  them  get  out  of  their  sluggish  habit  and  square 
away. 

As  the  training  goes  on,  the  improvement  in  the  condi- 
tion of  each  horse  is  to  be  carefully  watched  and  noted,  so 
that  the  time  when  it  will  be  safe  and  useful  to  give  the 
first  trial  may  be  observed.  Those  that  were  in  stable 
condition  at  the  commencement  of  the  preparation  will  be 
ready  for  this  test  before  the  ones  that  were  turned  out ; 
but  no  rule  can  be  laid  down  as  to  the  amount  of  work  the 
horse  ought  to  have  before  the  trial  may  be  ventured  on. 
His  condition  as  he  appears  while  at  work,  and  during  and 
after  his  speedy  brushes,  is  to  be  the  guide  by  which  the 
trainer's  judgment  in  this  matter  must  be  directed.  During 
the  fast  work,  preparatory  to  the  coming  trial,  the  horse 
will  have  been  put  upon  his  largest  allowance  of  strong 
food.  Some  will  not  eat  more  than  eight  or  ten  quarts 
of  oats  a  day ;  and  it  is  necessary  to  be  very  vigilant  and 
careful  that  these  light  feeders  are  not  over-marked  in 
work.  Twelve  or  thirteen  quarts  is  about  what  a  good 
feeder  ought  to  have.  Some  will  ea  t  sixteen  quarts  of  oats 
a  day,  but  my  belief  is  that  three  quarts  of  it  does  more 
harm  than  good.  With  such  an  extraordinary  consump- 


102      ;  :  /  ato  lyiOTTlJffG-HOltSE  OF  AMERICA 


tion  of  strong  food,  there  must  needs  be  an  extraordinary 
amount  of  strong  work  done  to  keep  the  flesh  down  and  get 
rid  of  these  superfluities,  inside  and  outside,  which  experi- 
ence has  shown  must  be  eliminated  before  the  horse  is 
capable  of  his  best  achievements.  Now,  if  it  were  a  mere 
question  of  bodily  health  and  vigor,  we  might  say,  the  more 
oats  the  horse  eats  the  more  work  he  can  do  with  impunity, 
and  the  better  his  condition  will  be  on  the  day  of  the  race. 
But  it  is  not  a  mere  question  of  bodily  health  and  vigor  ; 
for  the  extra  amount  of  work  made  necessary  to  get  off  the 
effects  of  the  extravagant  quantity  of  food  consumed,  and 
keep  the  horse  only  in  proper  flesh  at  the  same  time, 
imposes  a  terrible  task  upon  the  legs,  which  are  commonly 
the  first  part  of  the  machine  to  give  out  in  horses  whose 
work  is  fast  and  severe.  This  is  a  consideration  which  has 
made  me  averse  to  giving  any  horse  in  training  more  than 
thirteen  quarts  of  good  oats  a  day,  unless  there  is  some- 
thing peculiar  in  the  animal  and  the  circumstances  of  the 
case. 

During  the  preparation  which  precedes  the  first  trial,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  give  the  horse  one  or  two  sweats. 
Whether  it  ought  to  be  one  or  two  must  be  indicated  by 
the  condition  and  nature  of  the  animal,  the  races  in  which 
he  is  engaged,  and  resolved  by  the  judgment  of  the  trainer. 
The  amount  of  clothes  in  which  he  shall  be  sweated  must 
be  determined  by  the  same  considerations.  Some  may 
require  a  blanket  and  hood,  and  a  wrapper  round  the  neck 
to  start  the  perspiration  out  of  them  ;  while  there  are  others 
that  will  sweat  freely  with  but  little  clothes,  and  scrape 
well  when  more  have  been  thrown  on  at  the  end  of  the  jog. 
One  thing  may  certainly  be  said,  that  a  sweat  obtained 
without  the  use  of  heavy  clothing  is  more  satisfactory  and 
better  than  one  with  it,  provided  the  latter  method  does  not 
include  a  good  deal  more  work  to  get  the  sweat.  Only  a 
moderate  quantity  of  clothing  and  little  work  while  the 
horse  is  going,  are  the  best  for  a  sweat,  if  a  good  scrape 


THE  TR^ZTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  103 

can  thus  be  obtained.  When  the  horse  comes  from  the 
drive,  and  is  taken  out  of  the  wagon,  he  will  soon  be  ready 
to  scrape.  That  done,  he  must  be  blanketed  up  again,  and 
walked  about  out  of  the  draft.  A  favorable  day  for  the 
sweat  ought  to  be  taken  advantage  of,  as  a  matter  of  course. 
Another  light  scrape  may  probably  be  had  after  some  little 
time  spent  in  walking  in  the  blankets ;  but,  if  the  perspira- 
tion does  not  continue  so  as  to  give  this  second  scrape,  it  is 
not  to  be  forced  by  more  work  in  the  clothes.  To  be  of 
use  in  itself,  and  as  a  satisfactory  indication  that  the  con- 
dition of  the  horse  is  advanced,  it  must  come  of  itself. 
During  the  time  this  sweating  and  scraping  process  is  in 
course  of  operation,  the  trainer  having  the  conduct  of  it 
should  not  be  in  a  hurry.  The  same  things  that  are  said 
to  cure  a  man's  cold  —  patience  and  a  little  water-gruel  — 
will  often  do  wonders  in  procuring  a  good  sweat.  Com- 
monly, however,  it  is  easy  enough  to  get  the  sweat  and 
scrape,  but  more  difficult  to  cool  the  horse  out  properly. 
In  order  to  do  this  well,  he  is  to  be  clothed  again,  and  led 
very  gently  about  for  a  considerable  period,  so  that  he  may 
become  cool  gradually,  and  the  perspiration  may  dry  away 
by  degrees.  This  walking  is  to  be  out  of  all  draft  as  much 
as  possible ;  and  it  will  not  do  to  hurry  it  over,  and  go  to  the 
stable,  until  the  horse  has  cooled  off  well  and  gradually. 
When  the  proper  state  has  been  reached,  the  horse  is  to  be 
taken  into  the  stable,  and  his  body  is  to  be  well  dressed. 
This  done,  he  is  to  be  re-clothed,  and  again  led  into  the  air. 
A  few  sups  of  gruel,  made  of  Indian  meal  or  fine  shorts, 
from  half  a  pint  to  a  pint  of  the  meal  stirred  into  a  bucket 
of  water,  may  now  be  given  to  the  horse,  or  water  with  the 
chill  taken  off  it  may  be  used  as  a  substitute  for  the  gruel. 
When  taken  into  the  stable  again,  which  will  be  after  a 
little  more  walking  about  in  the  air,  the  legs  are  to  be  put 
in  tubs  of  warm  water,  the  body  clothing  being  kept  on. 
The  legs  are  then  to  be  well  washed  with  the  water  and 
castile  soap,  and  when  dried  off  to  be  bandaged.  These 


104  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

bandages  should  be  of  light  flannel,  and  it  is  immaterial 
whether  it  is  red  or  white.  They  are  not  to  be  put  on  tight. 
The  legs  of  a  horse  ought  never  to  be  bandaged  tight,  for 
such  a  course  impedes  the  circulation  into  the  feet,  where 
there  is  a  great  necessity  for  it ;  but,  losing  sight  of  this, 
the  bandages  are  sometimes  pulled  so  that  it  looks  as  if 
they  were  intended  to  serve  as  a  tourniquet,  and  stop  the 
circulation  of  the  blood  altogether.  Neither  can  it  serve 
any  useful  purpose,  that  I  can  see,  to  bind  the  suspensory 
ligament  up  to  the  bone  of  the  leg.  Nature  intended  that 
in  the  horse  it  should  stand  out  from  it,  as  we  see  in  the 
fine  flat  legs  of  the  best  runners  and  trotters.  Whatever 
support  is  required  may  be  obtained  with  only  a  moderate 
degree  of  tightness ;  and  I  have  sometimes  thought  that  an 
elastic  stocking,  such  as  our  best  surgeons  use  in  cases  of 
bad  strain  to  the  nerves  and  muscles  of  the  human,  foot 
and  ankle,  would  be  a  very  useful  article  in  a  training- 
stable. 

The  difference  between  tight  bandaging  and  elastic  sup- 
port was  brought  very  prominently  to  my  notice  not  long 
ago.  A  lady  seriously  injured  her  foot  and  ankle  by  falling 
down  stairs,  when  coming  in  a  hurry  to  receive  a  friend. 
She  was  unable  to  walk  for  months,  and  finally  could  not 
bear  the  injured  foot  upon  the  floor  ever  so  lightly. 
Treatment  by  various  lotions  and  liniments  was  adopted, 
and  tight  bandaging  was  prescribed  by  the  surgeons  of  the 
city  where  this  accident  happened.  But  the  foot  got  no 
better;  and,  fearing  that  permanent  lameness  might  be  the 
result,  the  lady "  came  to  New  York,  and  was  treated  by 
Dr.  Carnochan.  He  abolished  the  tight  bandaging, 
substituted  an  elastic  stocking  made  by  a  very  clever 
mechanic,  and  insisted  that  the  foot  should  be  put  down, 
and  used  a  little  every  day  without  crutches.  The  result 
was  a  perfect  cure,  in  an  astonishingly  short  time.  Had  the 
numbing  process  by  means  of  the  tightened  bandages  been 
persevered  with  much  longer,  the  use  of  the  member  would 


THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA.  105 

have  been  permanently  lost,  and  the  lady  a  cripple  for  life. 
This  was  a  suggestive  case  to  me.  Tight  bandaging  of  the 
legs  of  a  horse  is  a  very  bad  practice,  and  therefore  you 
should  see  that  they  are  properly  put  on  and  not  drawn 
tight. 

When  all  is  done,  and  the  horse  nicely  cooled  off,  he  may 
have  a  good  scald  mash,  and  less  hay  than  on  other  occa- 
sions for  the  night.  On  the  morning  of  the  day  after  the 
sweat  the  horse  ought  to  feel  limber,  elastic,  and  buoyant 
in  spirits.  In  his  jogging,  which  must  be  of  two  or  three 
miles,  as  you  judge  him  to  need,  he  may  have  a  couple  of 
brushes  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  each,  at  nearly  or  quite  full 
speed,  to  open  his  pipes,  and  enable  him  to  stretch  himself. 
When  horses  have  been  well  sweated,  and  have  got  well 
cooled  out  of  it,  they  are  full  of  alacrity  and  ardor,  and  feel 
like  going  fast  with  ease  and  pleasure  to  themselves. 
Therefore,  the  time  is  proper  to  put  in  these  short  and 
sweet  brushes,  during  which  the  horse  may  be  expected  to 
go  a  little  faster,  without  urging,  than  he  has  at  any  other 
time  during  his  preparation. 


X. 


Work  after  the  Sweat.  —  Trial  after  the  Sweat.  —  Preparation  for  the  Trial. 
—  Amount  of  Work.  — No  arbitrary  Rule  possible.  —  The  Mile-Trial.  — 
Of  Condition,  Game,  and  Bottom.  —  Work  after  the  First  Kace.  —  Prep- 
aration for  Three-mile  Heats.  —  Much  slow  Work  reduces  Speed.  — 
Time  of  Three-mile  Preparation.  —  Of  the  Trials.  — Work  after  the 
Final  Trial. 

A  ETEE  the  horse  has  had  the  sweat,  as  before  directed, 
_£JL_  the  regular  work  is  to  be  resumed  and  carried  on  as 
before,  and  the  feed  is  to  be  the  same  as  it  was  before  the 
sweat.  It  will  be  well  to  bear  in  mind  the  object  of  the 
sweats,  which  is  to  loosen  the  flesh,  and  to  remove  the  fat 
and  other  superfluities  which  add  nothing  to  the  horse's 
strength,  impede  his  wind,  and  make  so  much  more  weight 
for  him  to  carry  in  his  training  and  in  his  races.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  regular  work  is  not  to  take  away  the  sub- 
stance, but  to  increase  the  volume  of  muscle,  harden  its 
consistency,  and  increase  its  elasticity  and  strength.  Thus 
the  sweats  merely  reduce,  while  the  regular  work  reduces 
the  soft  parts  to  some  extent  of  itself,  but  builds  up  and 
develops  the  moving  powers.  It  follows,  that,  when  the 
horse  in  hand  is  of  a  weak  and  soft  habit,  great  care  must 
be  taken  that  he  is  not  sweated  too  much  in  clothes  ;  for,  if 
he  is,  he  will  shrink  in  the  course  of  work,  and  become  thin 
and  dry  after  one  or  two  races.  If  the  time  of  training 
could  be  extended,  and  there  was  no  danger  to  the  legs  and 
constitution  in  making  the  work  severe,  the  sweats  might 
be  dispensed  with  almost  or  quite  altogether.  But  this  is 
not  the  case ;  and  therefore  the  sweat  in  clothes  is  resorted 

106 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  107 

to  in  order  to  get  rid  of  the  superfluities  more  rapidly  and 
with  less  risk  to  the  legs  than  the  regular  work  would  do. 

Where  the  horse  is  of  good  constitution,  but  positively 
infirm  in  his  legs,  there  must  be  more  sweating  in  clothes 
and  less  work  without  them  than'  in  other  cases.  In  five  or 
six  days  after  the  sweat,  the  horse  should  be  ready  to  stand 
a  half-mile  trial.  Unless  something  has  gone  wrong,  he 
ought  to  be  fit  to  go  that  distance  under  the  watch,  and 
thus  afford  a  certain  indication  as  to  his  speed  and  advance 
toward  racing  condition.  It  will  not  be  necessary  to  muz- 
zle him  over  night  for  this  short  trial,  unless  he  is  a  rank 
feeder.  His  oats  are  not  to  be  reduced  in  quantity ;  and  he 
may  have  his  usual  allowance  of  hay,  unless  he  has  been 
accustomed  to  eat  a  great  deal.  His  morning  feed  before 
the  trial  may  be  a  little  less  than  usual,  and  the  water  re- 
duced to  correspond.  The  half-mile  trial  being  found  sat- 
isfactory, the  work  will  be  carried  on  as  before.  Let  him 
jog  till  he  has  emptied  himself,  then  move  him  at  three- 
quarter  speed,  with  sharp  and  lively  brushes  to  make  him 
square  away  and  get  up  to  his  best  rate.  The  amount  of 
work  must  be  gauged  by  the  judgment  and  skill  of  the 
trainer,  in  view  of  how  the  horse  goes  on  and  improves,  and 
of  his  known  breed  and  character.  It  is  quite  certain  that 
the  thoroughbred  horse  will  improve  under  an  amount  of 
work  that  will  overmark  and  utterly  destroy  the  chance  of 
almost  any  horse  coarsely  bred.  Therefore,  it  is  to  be  ex- 
pected that  a  well-bred  trotter  will  take  more  work  with 
advantage,  provided  his  legs  stand,  than  one  of  a  poorer 
grade  in  blood.  But,  beyond  this,  it  is  found  by  experience 
that  there  is  a  great  disparity  in  the  capacity  of  horses  of 
the  same  grade  to  stand  work  and  improve  in  condition. 
No  rule  can  be  laid  down  beforehand  by  which  it  can  be 
useful  and  safe  to  regulate  the  amount  of  work  it  will  be 
proper  to  give.  Until  the  horse  has  been  trained,  it  is  im- 
possible to  say  what  he  may  bear,  and  what  is  required  to 
bring  him  quite  fit'  on  the  day  that  he  is  to  trot  for  money. 


108  THE   TROTTING-UORSE  OF  AMERICA 

Therefore,  the  trainer  must  be  vigilant  as  the  work  goes  on 
from  day  to  day ;  and,  if  the  slightest  symptoms  appear  to 
indicate  that  the  limit  has  been  reached,  the  horse  must  be 
eased.  Experience,  judgment,  and  skill  are  imperatively 
demanded  at  this  juncture ;  and,  where  they  do  not  exist  in 
fair  degree,  it  will  be  the  best  course  to  keep  on  the  safe 
side,  and  be  sure  that  the  horse  is  well  within  himself.  It 
is  true  that  he  may  not  be  up  to  the  keen  edge  of  which  he 
is  susceptible ;  but  there  is  no  remedy  for  this  except  at  the 
risk  of  overdoing  him  altogether,  which  risk  is  great  in  such 
circumstances  in  any  hands  but  those  of  a  skilful  and 
watchful  trainer.  It  will  not  do  to  carry  on  until  the  horse 
is  off  his  feed,  dull  in  the  eye,  and  his  coat  begins  to  stare, 
because  the  game  is  up  when  this  is  the  case.  The  point 
at  which  his  work  ought  to  have  been  eased  is  passed,  and 
it  will  take  some  time  of  nice  handling  and  gentle  work  to 
get  behind  it  once  more. 

In  five  or  six  days,  or  a  week  after  the  first  trial,  the 
horse  will  be  fit  to  be  tried  a  mile,  if  he  has  been  doing 
well.  It  being  found  that  he  is  "  all  there,"  this  will  com- 
monly be  sufficient  for  a  mile  race.  Even  if  the  race  is 
two  miles  and  repeat,  it  will  sometimes  be  best  to  avoid 
further  trial.  It  depends  upon  the  condition  and  character 
of  the  horse  and  the  state  of  his  legs  and  feet.  If  he  is 
known  to  be  a  stout  one,  and  his  legs  are  all  right,  another 
trial  may  be  had  prior  to  the  two-mile  race ;  and  in  this  the 
horse  may  be  repeated.  But  if  the  speed  is  there,  and  the 
trainer  is  satisfied  with  the  condition,  it  will  be  safest  to 
take  a  good  deal  on  trust  rather  than  insist  on  its  exhibition 
before  the  race.  If  the  trainer  knows  his  horse,  he  will 
have  a  safe  rule  to  go  by ;  if  he  does  not  know  him,  he  must 
rely,  to  a  considerable  extent,  upon  his  own  judgment ;  for, 
when  the  horse  is  not  known  to  be  stout,  there  is  all  the 
more  danger  of  giving  him  too  much  in  the  trials.  The 
torse  that  is  fit  to  trot  mile-heats,  three  in  five,  in  which 
the  heats  may  be  broken,  is  able  to  trot  a  two-mile  race,  so 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  109 

far  as  condition  is  concerned.  Natural  stoutness  and  game 
are  demanded  for  long  races.  Now,  without  condition  the 
horse  cannot  have  "bottom,"  which  is  simply  capacity  to 
endure.  Without  game,  which  is  the  pluck  to  try  till  the 
last  chance  i4  out,  the  bottom  may  exist  to  very  little  pur- 
pose. Therefore,  though  the  horse  cannot  have  the  bottom 
without  condition,  he  may  have  the  condition  without  the 
bottom  and  its  necessary  concomitant  —  game.  It  follows, 
that  the  saying  often  heard,  "  condition  makes  bottom,"  is 
only  true  to  a  limited  extent.  It  enables  the  game  and  nat- 
urally stout  horse  to  make  avail  of  all  his  bottom,  and  put 
forth  his  powers  to  the  uttermost  degree.  Again,  it  is  said 
speed  makes  bottom ;  but  this  is  next  kin  to  nonsense.  As 
long  as  there  is  nothing  like  equal  speed  against  it,  it  en- 
ables the  fast  horse's  driver  to  keep  him  well  within  himself, 
and  thus  to  dispense  with  the  bottom  which,  against  another 
of  nearly  equal  speed,  would  be  necessary  to  save  the  heat. 
And  speed  is  of  very  great  importance  in  another  point  of 
view.  It  enables  its  possessor  to  go  ahead,  take  which  part 
of  the  course  he  pleases,  and  fret  and  worry  the  other  horse. 
Very  few  horses  have  the  courage  and  temper  to  go  on  be- 
hind at  their  best  pace,  and  persevere  to  the  end  without 
breaking.  Therefore,  the  horse  of  known  bottom  may  ac£ 
bad  when  he  finds  himself  out-trotted  from  the  score  in  a 
long  race,  and  is  urged  all  the  way ;  and  if  the  driver  pulls 
him  together,  the  other  may  steal  away  and  open  such  a  gap 
that  the  closing  of  it  at  the  end  of  the  heat  will  be  a  terri- 
ble up-hill  task,  unless  the  other  "comes  back."  Speed,, 
then,  may  be  an  available  substitute  for  bottom ;  but  it  can- 
not be  bottom  itself  in  any  sense.  The  slow  horse  in  con- 
dition can  keep  at  his  best  rate  longer  than  the  speedy 
horse  can  at  his.  Hence  the  old  saying,  "  He  can't  go  fast 
enough  to  tire  himself." 

When  the  horse  has  appeared  in  his  first  race,  showed 
the  speed  you  might  reasonably  look  for,  and  given  evidence 
of  satisfactory  condition,  he  is  not  to  be  treated  exactly  as 


110  THE   TltOTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

before  in  getting  ready  for  the  next.  It  is  proper  now  to 
reduce  his  work ;  for  if  he  is  kept  at  it,  just  as  he  was  hefore 
his  first  engagement,  he  is  almost  certain  to  lose  speed. 
The  condition  is  about  there,  and  what  it  lacks  may  be 
looked  for  to  follow  the  means  taken  to  increase  the  speed 
after  the  first  race.  The  work  is  to  be  less  in  quantity,  but 
with  numerous  short  brushes  and  merry  rallies,  leaving  the 
horse  in  good  heart  and  high  spirits,  thinking  well  of  him- 
self, and  on  good  terms  with  his  daily  training-ground,  the 
course. 

Should  the  race  for  which  the  horse  is  in  preparation  be 
three-mile  heats,  the  work  must  be  longer  and  not  so  sharp 
as  for  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  and  two-mile-heats.  The 
lasting  qualities  are  to  be  developed  by  more  jogging,  and 
not  so  many  spurts  of  speed  in  comparison.  Still,  the  work 
is  not  to  be  so  slow  and  monotonous  and  extended  as  to  take 
speed  away.  Many  a  race  is  won  by  a  good  brush  on  the 
stretch,  which  would  have  been  lost  if  the  speed  had  been 
dogged  out  with  a  great  deal  of  walking  and  slow  jogging. 
I  have  found  it  so  often  the  case  that  a  large  amount  of 
slow  work  has  knocked  off  the  speed,  that  I  deem  one  of 
them  incompatible  with  the  other,  and  look  upon  this  as  an 
established  principle.  Therefore,  there  are  to  be  lively 
spurts  from  time  to  time,  when  the  preparation  is  for  three- 
mile  heats,  and  the  jogging  is  not  to  be  carried  on  so  as  to 
take  out  the  heart  and  inclination  of  the  horse  for  these 
spurts.  To  produce  the. horse  full  of  staying  condition,  and 
with  all  his  speed,  is  the  proper  aim  of  the  training  art.  To 
have  him  capable  of  going  on  for  a  long  while,  but  deficient 
of  his  known  rate  of  speed,  is  not  art;  and  to  have  him 
speedy  for  a  little  way,  but  unable  to  stay  the  distance 
which  he  is  known  to  be  able  to  endure,  is  not  art  either. 

For  the  three-mile  race  a  longer  time  will  be  taken  in 
training  than  for  one  of  mile-heats,  three  in  five,  unless  a 
shorter  engagement  has  intervened ;  and,  when  the  horse  is 
brought  to  the  post  for  the  long  race,  he  ought  to  be  as  near 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  Ill 

the  pitch  of  condition  as  art  can  get  him.  About  three 
weeks  before  the  race  is  to  come  off,  he  may  have  his  first 
trial,  which  will  be  a  mile.  Half-mile  trials  are  to  be  dis- 
pensed with  here  ;  for  the  object  was  to  get  the  three-mile 
distance  "  into  the  horse,"  and  a  performance  of  half  a  mile 
would  afford  no  useful  indication.  It  would  only  tell  that 
he  had  certain  speed. 

The  mile  trial  having  been  satisfactory,  the  work  is  to  go 
on ;  and  in  ten  days  more,  or  thereabout,  the  horse  will  be  fit 
for  his  final  trial.  In  getting  ready  for  this,  his  hay  and 
water  over  night  may  be  somewhat  reduced,  and  the  muzzle 
is  to  be  put  on.  The  full  allowance  of  oats  is  to  be  given. 
At  the  actual  trial,  commence  with  a  mile  at  good  speed. 
At  the  end  of  it,  blanket  up  and  scrape,  and  walk  about  for 
thirty-five  minutes.  Then  repeat  two  miles  out.  If  in  this 
the  horse  does  well,  shows  speed  and  freshness,  and  finishes 
with  go  in  him,  you  may  be  pretty  well  satisfied  that  he  is 
in  good  condition  and  capable  of  making  his  race.  A  fur- 
ther trial  is  unnecessary,  and  would  be  likely  to  result  in 
mischief. 

The  trials  are  never  to  be  as  long  as  the  race  for  which 
the  horse  is  being  trained.  In  the  three-mile  preparation 
there  will  be  walking  exercise,  probably  five  or  six  miles  a 
day,  and  three  or  four  of  driving,  with  spurts  of  speed 
therein ;  but,  as  I  said  before,  no  rule  can  be  laid  down 
for  the  actual  amount  of  work;  that  must  depend  upon 
the  horse.  I  mention  the  above  as  a  probable  amount,  be- 
cause it  is  not  likely  that  a  horse  unable  to  stand  up 
under  something  like  it  will  be  matched  three-mile  heats. 
If  he  is,  his  owner  may  look  to  lose,  unless  the  other  is  infe- 
rior in  speed  and  of  the  same  kidney.  From  the  time  of 
the  final  trial  to  the  race,  the  work  should  be  the  same  as  it 
was  before,  unless  the  wisdom  of  a  change  was  indicated  by 
what  took  place  in  the  trial.  If  in  that  performance  the 
horse  showed  plenty  of  speed,  but  pulled  up  distressed  at 
the  end  of  the  two  miles  of  repeat,  it  would  be  an  evidence 


112  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

that  he  is  not  up  to  the  mark  in  condition,  and  the  work 
should  be  increased.  In  any  case,  it  will  be  of  great  im- 
portance to  have  the  wind  clear  for  the  race,  and  four  or  five 
days  prior  to  that  event  the  horse  should  have  a  light 
sweat.  A  jog  with  hood  and  wrapper,  so  as  to  get  a  nice 
scrape,  is  all  that  will  be  required,  the  cooling-out  to  be  as 
before  directed.  All  through  the  preparation,  if  the  race  is 
to  be  in  harness,  it  will  be  advisable  to  change  the  sulky 
for  a  skeleton  wagon  occasionally,  so  as  to  get  the  weight 
off  the  back.  If  the  race  is  to  be  to  a  wagon,  the  horse  is 
not  to  be  worked  in  a  sulky  at  all. 


XL 

Stout  Horses  stand  a  strcrg  Preparation.  —  State  of  the  Legs  to  be  watched. 
—  Idlewild  and  Lady  Palmer.  —  No  Device  a  Substitute  for  Work.  — 
Ten-mile  Preparation.  —  A  steady  rating  Capacity  wanted.  —  The  Prep- 
aration to  be  Long.  —  The  Feed  to  be  Strong.  —  Effects  of  the  Work 
to  be  watched.  —  The  Trials.  —  Management  of  the  Kace.  —  The  Kaces 
of  Kentucky  Prince  and  Hero  the  Pacer. 

IT  will  have  been  gathered  from  what  I  have  said,  that, 
even  when  good  condition  has  been  attained,  there  will 
still  be  a  great  difference  in  the  performance  of  horses  as 
soon  as  the  distance  they  are  required  to  go  is  long ;  and 
that,  in  getting  a  whole  stable  of  horses  into  fix  to  trot 
races,  there  will  seldom  be  two  whose  treatment  during 
their  preparation  ought  to  be  the  same.  The  natural  game 
and  stout  horse  will  stand  a  stronger  preparation,  and  may 
be  relied  on  for  a  greater  performance  than  another  will 
ever  be  capable  of,  with  all  the  aid  that  the  trainer  can 
give  him,  provided  the  legs  of  the  former  stand.  There  is 
a  small  class  of  trotting-horses,  and  of  thoroughbred  run- 
ning-horses, too,  who  require  an  immense  amount  of  work 
to  get  them  fit  to  do  their  best,  and  who  cannot  be  relied  on 
to  do  any  thing  like  their  best  without  it.  The  training  of 
these,  seeing  that  they  can  hardly  have  too  much  work, 
judiciously  given,  for  their  constitution,  would  be  much 
simplified,  if  it  were  not  for  the  danger  that  their  legs  and 
feet  may  give  out,  while  their  appetite  and  general  health 
remain  good.  In  preparing  them  the  state  of  the  legs  must 
be  particularly  watched;  and  if  any  weak  or  inflammatory 
symptoms  manifest  themselves  under  the  severe  work  which 
is  necessary  to  bring  them  to  the  wiry  condition  in  which 

8  113 


114  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

they  will  do  their  best,  the  sweats  must  be  more  relied  on 
to  reduce  their  superfluities  than  the  strong  work  they 
would  otherwise  demand  and  might  have  with  entire 
safety. 

If  the  legs  of  these  horses  stand,  so  that  with  the  ordi- 
nary amount  of  sweats  and  the  extraordinary  amount  of 
work  they  can  be  brought  to  their  best  condition,  they 
may  be  relied  on  to  last :  they  will  trot  all  day  and  the 
next  day  too.  But  when  the  danger  to  the  legs  has  been 
such  that  it  was  necessary  to  give  many  and  heavy  sweats, 
and  only  an  ordinary  amount  of  work,  there  is  always  some 
chance  that  they  may  cut  up  soft,  for  them.  There  is  still 
the  condition,  so  far  as  the  absence  of  internal  and  external 
fat  and  other  gross  superfluities  is  concerned  j  but  the  mus- 
cular system  has  not  had  the  great  amount  of  work  to  give 
it  tone  and  power  to  endure,  which  their  particular  hardy 
and  high-strung  organizations,  and  the  extraordinary  tasks 
they  are  called  on  to  perform,  above  all  others,  require. 
There  have  been  two  notable  instances  of  this  about  here, — 
one  of  them  a  thoroughbred  runner;  the  other  thorough- 
bred also,  but  a  trotter ;  and  both  mares.  The  first-men- 
tioned, Idlewild,  required  a  vast  amount  of  hard  drilling  to 
make  her  fit ;  and  it  was  not  safe  to  bring  her  to  the  post 
against  a  good  horse  without  it,  although  her  speed  was 
something  wonderful.  The  other  is  Lady  Palmer,  Mr. 
Bonner's  chestnut  mare  by  Glencoe,  and  therefore  a  sort  of 
aunt  to  Idlewild,  whose  dam  was  by  Glencoe.  In  spite  of 
excellent  bodily  condition,  apparently,  it  would  not  do  to  rely 
upon  this  mare  to  make  one  of  the  extraordinary  perform- 
ances of  which  she  is  known  to  be  capable,  unless  she  had 
had  a  great  amount  of  severe  work  in  the  attaining  of  it.  The 
wind  in  her  and  Idlewild  might  be  good  enough  —  though 
it  would  be  more  likely  not  to  be  good  without  the  hard 
drilling ;  for  what  is  called  "  good  wind "  depends  largely 
upon  the  muscular  action  of  the  heart  —  and  still,  for  want 
of  sumcient  work  to  build  up  and  give  lasting  tone  to  the 


THE  TROTTIXG-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA.  115 

wiry,  harp-string  powers,  there  might  be  a  failure  to  conie 
up  to  expectation  in  a  really  great  task. 

Hence  we  see  where  the  sweating  in  clothes  would  fail  to 
make  these  horses  fit,  though  they  might  be  in  "  bodily  con- 
dition ; "  and  thus  the  futility  of  substituting  the  Turkish 
bath,  or  any  thing  of  that  kind,  for  natural  work  in  the 
training  of  horses,  may  easily  be  perceived.  As  a  rule, 
the  best  horses  take  the  most  work,  for  two  reasons.  One 
is,  that  they  do  not  part  with  their  hard  flesh  half  as  easily 
as  those  do  who  are  naturally  soft  and  more  vascular.  The 
other  is,  that  the  great  performances  for  which  these  horses 
are  likely  to  be  called  upon  can  never  be  expected  until  the 
moving  powers  have  been  well-seasoned,  and  have  come  to 
possess  their  lasting  tone.  I  am  assured,  that,  when  the  flat- 
race  trainers  first  began  to  fit  horses  for  steeple-chase  run- 
ning in  England,  they  were  amazed  to  find  that  they  gave 
out  suddenly,  dead  beat,  when  they  would  have  sworn  that 
their  condition  was  good.  They  soon  found  that  the  failure 
was  a  consequence  of  want  of  work  for  the  jumping  powers. 
They  had  only  been  worked  over  the  flat ;  and,  though  their 
bodily  condition  was  as  fine  as  could  be,  there  was  a  want 
of  power  in  the  muscles  which  send  the  horse  up  and  for- 
ward in  taking  leaps.  That  power  they  soon  learned  could 
only  be  gained  by  leaping-practice  in  the  training.  Thus 
it  will  be  perceived  that  custom,  as  long  as  the  constitu- 
tional health  and  the  legs  remain  sound,  is  the  great  agent 
in  fitting  all  sorts  of  animals  for  the  performance  of  extra- 
ordinary feats.  It  is  said  that  Milo  of  Crete  could  carry 
an  ox,  but  it  was  one  that  he  had  carried  every  day  after  it 
was  a  calf.  All  that  time  he  had  been  "  in  training ; "  and 
as  training  without  any  let-up  for  a  long  period  must  ex- 
haust the  sources  of  vitality,  and  impair  the  constitution 
prematurely,  it  is  very  likely  that  Milo  died  before  the 
ox  did. 

In  the  preparation  for  a  ten-mile  race,  there  must  be  an 
increase  of  work  even  over  that  indicated  for  the  three-mile 


116  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

heat  engagement.  A  great  burst  of  speed  is  not  to  be 
looked  for  anywhere  in  a  race  of  ten  miles ;  but  victory  is  to 
be  expected  more  from  a  steady  rating-trot,  which  can  be 
taken  up  at  the  beginning  and  maintained  to  the  end.  In 
nineteen  cases  out  of  twenty,  this  will  cut  down  the  oppos- 
ing horse  in  a  race  of  this  length,  even  when  his  speed  is 
greatly  superior,  unless  he  has  been  taught  to  keep  this 
even  rate  in  his  preparation.  If  this  tuition  has  not  been 
j/iven,  he  will  either  make  bursts  above  the  distance-rate 
every  now  and  then,  or  he  will  pull  and  fight  at  his  driver 
in  his  efforts  to  do  so.  In  either  case,  the  rating-horse  has 
got  him,  provided  his  driver  keeps  up  the  rate,  and  does  not 
let  the  other  have  a  chance  to  recuperate  when  he  begins 
to  tire. 

Of  course,  no  horse  who  is  not  naturally  stout  and  well 
on  his  legs  ought  to  be  matched  and  trained  for  a  race  of 
ten  miles.  This  being  found  to  be  the  case,  the  work  must 
be  given  like  that  for  the  three-mile  heats,  but  larger  in 
amount.  Thus,  on  two  days  in  a  week,  make  it  a  fourth 
longer,  and  on  other  days  an  eighth  longer.  At  the  same  time 
that  care  is  to  be  taken  not  to  dog  and  worry  the  speed  out, 
there  is  no  occasion  for  the  ripping  spurts  which  intervene 
in  the  other  training :  the  horse  is  only  to  have  enough  of 
them  to  keep  him  cheerful  and  lively,  and  to  vary  the  par- 
tial monotony  of  the  steady  work.  This  preparation  will 
be  greater  in  length  than  any  of  the  others,  for  a  horse  is 
not  to  be  got  up  to  the  ten-mile  mark  at  a  good  rate  in  a 
few  weeks.  While  he  is  undergoing  it,  he  may  have  all  the 
grain  he  will  eat,  even  if  it  is  fourteen  or  fifteen  quarts ; 
but  you  must  see  that  he  eats  all  up  and  keeps  the  manger 
clean.  Long  and  strong  work  demands  strong  feed  and 
plenty  of  it.  A  horse  may  do  a  long  day's  work  now  and 
then  in  stable-condition,  but  this  is  as  nothing  to  being 
called  upon  to  do  a  large  amount  pretty  rapidly  every  day. 
The  strong  feed  and  strong  work,  as  I  said  in  a  former  part 
of  this  work,  are  dangerous  to  infirm  legs ;  but  a  horse  to  go 


THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA.  117 

ten  miles  should  be  one  of  well-tried  strength  in  this  par- 
ticular. Therefore  the  strong  work  and  all  the  oats  he 
will  eat  may  he  ventured  on  in  his  preparation  for  this 
distance. 

In  the  course  of  it,  before  his  first  trial,  it  will  probably 
have  been  deemed  necessary  to  give  him  a  couple  of  sweats  • 
and,  after  he  is  well  over  them,  his  work  may  often  be 
increased  with  advantage.  But  vigilance  is  to  be  exercised 
all  along  to  see  that  the  point  at  which  the  work  begins  to 
be  too  severe  is  not  reached.  The  trainer's  judgment  as  to 
the  effect  the  increased  work  has  upon  the  constitutional 
health  and  legs  is  all  in  all  here.  He  will  still  have  a  guide, 
—  the  horse's  known  habit  and  breed ;  but  it  will  not  do  to 
trust  to  these  alone.  That  would  be  like  steering  by  the 
stars  at  sea,  to  the  neglect  of  the  compass.  Now,  the  stars, 
as  seen  by  the  helmsman,  will  give  a  general  indication  of 
the  course,  but  not  the  exact  course  by  compass.  And  so 
the  habit  and  breed  will  furnish  general  probabilities,  but 
not  the  particular  niceties  to  be  arrived  at  by  carefully 
observing  the  effect  of  the  increased  work  from  day  to  day. 
The  horse  will  not  feel  any  the  worse,  in  all  probability, 
after  the  first  day  or  the  second ;  but,  as  it  goes  on,  the  like- 
lihood of  overmarking  him  is  increased.  Five  weeks  before 
the  race  the  ten-mile  horse  may  have  his  first  trial,  which 
will  be  two  miles,  at  two-thirds  speed.  A  scrape  may  be 
taken ;  and  the  horse  will  be  cooled  out  in  conformity  with 
the  directions  before  given,  by  slow  walking  in  clothes  in 
the  air,  but  out  of  a  draught  of  wind. 

In  ten  or  twelve  days  after  the  first  trial,  he  ought  to  be 
ready  to  go  two  miles  and  repeat.  Let  him  go  the  first 
two  miles  at  two-thirds  speed.  Then  blanket  and  scrape, 
and  walk  about  for  twenty-five  minutes.  In  the  second 
two  miles  he  may  go  his  best ;  that  is,  his  best  rate  for  two 
miles.  Then  clothe  him  well  and  get  another  nice  scrape. 
Supposing  the  horse  to  have  done  well  all  along,  he  will 
now  be  near  fine  staying  condition.  Let  the  work  be 


118  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

carried  on  according  to  your  best  judgment,  from  what  you 
observed  in  the  last  two  miles  of  the  repeat,  how  he  finished 
it  and  behaved  afterwards.  Ten  days  before  his  race  he 
will  be  ready  for  his  final  trial,  five  miles  out.  From  his 
performance  of  that,  and  its  effect  on  him,  the  trainer  ought 
to  be  able  to  form  a  definite  judgment  as  to  his  condition  : 
and  here  condition  is  as  absolute  a  necessity  as  stoutness. 
The  most  skilful  and  experienced  man  may  be  deceived  as 
to  the  stoutness  of  a  horse  in  a  ten-mile  race,  when  he  has 
not  proved  it  by  going  one ;  but  the  trainer  ought  not  to  be 
mistaken  in  his  condition. 

Upon  the  judgment  to  be  formed  now,  the  tactics  to  be 
adopted  in  the  race  will  mainly  depend.  If  the  horse  is 
known  to  be  a  stout  one,  and  his  condition  is  as  good  as  can 
be,  the  policy  will  be  to  go  along  at  a  good  rate,  not  caring 
if  the  other  goes  faster  at  first",  but  to  keep  up  at  that  rate, 
or  thereabouts,  and  force  the  other  to  keep  at  it  too,  when 
he  would  rather  slacken  up  a  little.  By  this  means  any 
extra  speed  your  opponent  may  have  had  at  the  start  will 
have  disappeared  long  before  the  finish.  You  will  have  got 
him  down  to  your  speed,  and  have  your  extra  stoutness  to 
win  with.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  speed  of  a 
speedy  horse  diminishes  very  rapidly  when  he  begins  to 
tire ;  and  that  keeping  him  going  at  a  steady  rate  for  a 
great  distance,  even  though  it  is  much  slower  than  his  best 
rate,  tries  his  stoutness.  If  there  is  a  soft  place  in  him, 
this  plan  is  much  more  likely  to  find  it  out  than  any  other. 
If  he  could  go  part  of  the  way  fast,  and  another  part  a 
moderate  jog  only,  he  would  be  apt  to  recuperate,  and 
recover  speed  for  the  finish;  but  when  the  rating-horse 
follows  steadily,  mile  after  mile,  as  sure  to  come  to  time  as 
a  clock,  the  other  is  not  able  to  make  his  own  pace,  except 
it  be  a  moderately  fast  pace  all  the  way,  and  this  is  sure  to 
cut  down  his  speed.  Speed  can  only  be  made  an  available 
substitute  for  bottom  in  races  of  moderate  length.  Ten 
miles  is  too  far  for  it. 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  119 

In  the  year  1853,  the  horse  Kentucky  Prince  was 
matched  in  two  ten-mile  races  against  Hero  the  pacer,  in 
harness,  and  placed  in  my  hands  by  Mr.  E-.  Ten  Broeck  to 
be  prepared.  Prince  was  a  chestnut  with  one  white  heel, 
and  very  nearly  thoroughbred  if  not  quite.  He  was  by 
Woodpecker  out  of  a  mare  by  imp.  Sarpedon ;  which  horse 
also  got  Alice  Carneal,  the  dam  of  Lexington  and  the  mare 
that  was  the  dam  of  Lady  Palmer.  Prince  showed  his 
breeding  in  every  point  but  his  lop  ears,  in  which  he  was 
like  the  Melbournes  in  England.  He  took  his  work  well, 
and  a  great  amount  of  it.  The  first  race  came  off  on  the 
Centreville  Course  on  the  1st  .of  November.  It  was  for 
$5,000  a  side,  in  harness,  drivers  to  wreigh  165  pounds.  Mr. 
Joseph  Hall  matched  Hero,  and  Spicer  drove  him.  Prior 
to  the  start,  Mr.  Ten  Broeck,  who  was  then  and  still  is  a 
very  good  judge  in  such  matters,  advised  me  to  trail,  and 
let  Hero  make  his  own  pace  until  the  end  of  the  seventh 
mile,  believing  that  the  last  three  miles  would  do  to  cut 
down  Hero's  speed.  But  I  replied,  that  his  speed  was  very 
great,  he  having  gone  a  mile  in  2.18^,  and  that  it  would  be 
better  to  take  the  starch  out  of  him  to  a  considerable 
extent  earlier  in  the  race.  I  did  not  then  suppose  that  he 
would  make  the  pace  quite  as  good  as  he  did  from  the  start ; 
but  I  was  convinced,  that,  if  he  did  so,  it  would  be  my  best 
policy  to  keep  it  good.  Mr.  Ten  Broeck,  however,  adhered 
to  his  opinion ;  and,  at  starting,  I  set  out  to  conform  to  it. 
The  pacer  took  the  lead,  and  made  the  first  mile  in  2.44. 
The  next  was  still  better,  2.36 ;  and  the  third,  2.33f  This 
was  pretty  hot  for  the  distance  we  had  to  go,  and  I  lay  well 
behind.  In  the  last  quarter  of  the  third  mile,  I  saw  indi- 
cations that  the  pacer  was  going  to  slacken  his  speed ;  and  I 
felt  like  pulling  out  and  making  him  keep  it  up,  or  there- 
abouts, for  fear  that  I  should  slip  by  and  take  the  track. 
If  I  merely  lay  in  his  wake  for  four  miles,  he  could  go  as 
slow  as  he  pleased,  and  have  three  miles  of  fast  work  in  for 
the  end.  Half  way  up  the  stretch  stood  Mr.  McMann,  a 


120  THE  TROTTINU-UORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

great  friend  of  Mr.  Ten  Broeck's.  He  had  a  deal  of 
money  bet,  and  so  had  I.  As  I  got  abreast  of  him  I  said, 
"  I  shan't  win  if  I  stay  here."  "  Then  go  pn,"  he  replied ; 
and,  pulling  out,  I  went  on  as  though  going  to  try  for  the 
lead.  This  compelled  Hero  to  keep  the  pace  good.  The 
fourth  mile  was  done  in  2.39,  and  the  fifth  in  2.37.  Five 
miles  in  13.09 J.  The  sixth  mile  was  2.4G ;  and  now  it  became 
clear  enough  to  me  that  Hero  was  tiring,  and  the  race  safe. 
It  will  be  remembered,  that,  in  the  early  part  of  this 
work,  I  remarked  that  the  pace  was  a  much  more  laborious 
gait  than  a  trot,  for  a  long  distance.  It  results,  that,  when  a 
pacer  begins  to  tire  in  the  legs,  he  gives  out,  and  goes 
altogether  unless  he  gets  rested.  Hero  had  had  no  ease,  and 
in  the  early  part  of  the  seventh  mile  he  was  beaten.  The 
rating  for  six  miles,  though  nothing  like  his  highest  speed 
for  one  mile,  had  "  cooked  his  bacon,"  to  use  a  common 
expression.  I  took  the  lead,  and  jogged  round  this  mile  in 
5.08  1-2,  the  next  in  6.16,  and  the  ninth  in  6.19.  The  last 
mile  I  drove  in  2.39.  Hero  had  been  stopped  in  the 
seventh  mile.  Mr.  Ten  Broeck  had  money  laid  that  Prince 
would  trot  the  tenth  mile  in  threo  minutes ;  and,  when  I 
started  the  horse  up  to  win  it,  he  felt  so  well  that  he  went 
much  faster  than  I  supposed  him  to  be  going.  If  the  pacer 
had  been  suffered  to  slack  up  when  he  began  to  get  a  little 
tired,  he  might  not  have  got  so  completely  tired  as  to  go 
all  to  pieces.  Ten  days  afterwards  we  went  a  race  of  the 
same  kind  on  the  Union  Course,  for  $5,000  a  side.  This 
was  play  or  pay,  and  had  been  made  before  the  other  race  took 
place.  I  took  the  lead  in  this,  Hero  making  it  a  waiting 
race  from  the  start.  The  first  mile  was  3.01,  the  second 
2.52,  the  third  2.49,  the  fourth  2.45  1-2,  the  fifth  2.41,  the 
sixth  2.46  1-2,  the  seventh  2.38  1-2,  the  eighth  2.42  1-2, 
the  ninth  2.40,  the  tenth  3.12  1-2.  Hero  quit  in  this  mile. 
The  total  time  of  this  was  28  m.  08  l-2s.,  and  Prince  won 
it  easy.  Hero  made  a  good  race  too  ;  for  the  nine  miles  in 
less  than  twenty-five  minutes  showed  good  rating,  and  great 
power  of  lasting  at  the  pacing-gait. 


XII. 

Early  Reminiscences.  — My  first  Race.  —  My  Second.  —  Lady  Kate  against 
Time.  — • •  Paul  Pry  against  Time.  —  The  Riders  of  Thirty  Years  Ago.  — 
Requisites  of  a  Good  Rider.  —  Drilling  Horses.  — Lady  Sefton. 

I)  EFOE.E  we  proceed  much  farther,  I  purpose,  in  answer 
I  -)  to  letters  which  I  have  received,  to  say  a  little  ahout 
the  commencement  of  my  career  among  horses,  and  some  of 
those  events  in  which  I  then  participated.  The  writers 
have  been  good  enough  to  say  that  they  think  some  of  my 
personal  reminiscences  and  recollections  of  the  horses  of  old 
times  will  be  of  great  interest  and  some  use.  The  first 
race  for  money  in  which  I  was  engaged  took  place  thirty- 
four  years  ago,  and  I  was  then  fourteen  years  old.  It  was 
at  Philadelphia  in  1831 ;  I  being  then  with  my  uncle,  the 
trainer,  George  Woodruff,  at  the  Hunting-park  Course. 
We  had  Topgallant,  Columbus,  and  a  number  of  other 
trotters  in  the  stable.  The  course  used  to  be  a  favorite  re- 
sort of  such  gentlemen  as  Gen.  Cadwallader ;  Mr.  William 
Fetterall,  who  owned  Daniel  D.  Tompkins ;  Mr.  Jeffries, 
who  afterwards  owned  Dutchman;  and  the  like.  These 
gentlemen  were  always  anxious  to  see  a  little  sport ;  and  one 
day  they  got  up  a  small  purse,  to  be  trotted  for  under  sad- 
dle by  any  horses  that  we  boys  could  pick  up.  I  started 
off  from  where  they  were  all  assembled,  and  took  a  horse 
out  of  the  plough  in  a  neighboring  field.  It  was  Shaking 
Quaker,  who  had  belonged  on  Long  Island  prior  to  that 
time,  and  could  go  a  little.  Opposed  to  me,  there  were 
Peter  Whelan  and  James  Hamill,  both  of  whom  had  got 
horses  taken  promiscuously  out  of  some  of  the  vehicles  01} 

121 


122  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

the  course.  We  started ;  and  I  won  it  with  ease  in  two 
heats,  the  best  being  2.57. 

I  very  soon  had  another  mount,  and  this  was  of  more  im- 
portance. Mr.  Prank  Duffy  had  at  that  time  a  little  mare 
called  Lady  Kate,  that  was  a  good  goer.  He  had  gone 
from  Philadelphia  to  Baltimore,  and  matched  her  against 
time  to  trot  fifteen  miles  within  the  hour.  This  Lady  Kate 
was  a  handsome  little  thing,  about  Flora  Temple's  size,  and 
a  good  deal  like  her  in  appearance.  She  was  good  under 
saddle ;  and  the  notion  prevailed  that  Mr.  Duffy  was  going 
to  ride  her  himself.  But  this  was  a  slight  mistake  on  the 
part  of  the  backers  of  Time.  The  match  had  been  made 
catch-weight,  and  Mr.  Duffy  came  o-n  for  me  and  another  to 
ride  her.  He  was  very  much  afraid  that  one  of  us  would 
not  be  able  to  ride  the  distance  out,  and  do  justice  to  little 
Lady  Kate.  It  was  on  the  Central  Course,  Baltimore ;  and 
Mr.  Duffy,  with  the  mare's  bridle  thrown  over  his  arm  and 
a  big  saddle  on  her,  was  a  sight  to  see,  as  he  led  her  up  and 
down,  and  took  all  the  bets  that  were  offered  on  time.  But 
the  backers  of  the  "  old  devourer "  saw  another  sight  prior 
to  the  start ;  for,  just  when  they  had  expected  Mr.  Duffy  to 
mount,  I  stepped  "out  of  the. woods,"  with  a  little  saddle 
all  ready,  and  changed  it  for  the  heavy  one  that  was  on 
her. 

There  was  a  terrible  time  among  those  who  had  laid 
against  Lady  Kate ;  but  they  could  not  deny  the  fairness  of 
the  strategy  that  had  been  practised  to  get  bets,  and  so  I 
mounted  without  objection.  The  little  mare  and  I  got  the 
word,  and  away  we  went  as  well  as  could  be.  On  the  back- 
stretch  in  the  eighth  mile,  Mr.  Duffy  asked  me  if  I  could 
ride  it  out  without  tiring;  to  which  my  reply  was,  that  I 
could  ride  the  little  mare  the  fifteen  miles  within  the  hour, 
and  a  little  more  to  boot.  I  was  just  as  easy  as  I  had  been 
from  the  start,  and  she  was  going  along  in  the  prettiest 
winning  manner.  The  other  boy's  friends,  however,  were 
very  anxious  that  he  should  have  a  share  of  the  riding ;  and 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  123 

so,  at  the  request  of  his  father,  who  had  come  on  from 
Philadelphia  with  him,  I  got  off  at  the  end  of  eight  and 
three-quarter  miles.  At  the  end  of  the  twelfth  mile,  money 
was  laid  that  the  mare  would  do  sixteen  miles  within  the  hour, 
and  she  accomplished  it  with  great  ease.  The  sixteenth 
mile  was  made  in  3m.  10s.,  and  she  had  three  minutes  and 
nineteen  seconds  to  spare  out  of  the  hour.  She  could  have 
gone  eighteen  miles  in  the  hour  just  as  well  as  not.  The 
race  took  place  ahout  four  weeks  after  the  one  in  which  I 
rode  Shaking  Quaker  from  the  plough ;  and,  if  I  had  not  rid- 
den that,  I  do  not  think  I  should  have  been  selected  to  ride 
Lady  Kate.  I  shall  now  describe  a  big  time-race ;  which  is 
all  the  more  interesting  because  it  was  done  by  a  grandson 
of  the  imp.  horse  Messenger,  who  was  gray  like  himself, 
and  had  most  of  the  prominent  characteristics  of  that  cel- 
ebrated breed.  I  think  it  of  the  more  importance  because 
of  the  theory  now  started  by  some,  that  a  cross  to  the 
thoroughbred  stallion  is  not  the  way  to  breed  trotters.  It 
has  not  been  the  way  up  to  this  time,  except  in  the  case  of 
those  got  by  this  thoroughbred  horse  Messenger  in  this 
country,  and  by  his  sire,  Lord  Grosvenor's  gray  horse  Mam- 
brino,  in  England.  I  do  not  mean  to  commit  myself,  just 
here,  to  any  theory  of  breeding ;  but  will  point  out  the  in- 
disputable facts,  that  here  was  a  thoroughbred  stallion  that 
got  trotters  of  true  action  and  bottom  to  stay  all  day,  and 
that  his  sire  had  got  plenty  of  them  before  him,  they  both 
being  trained  and  successful  running-horses. 

Now  let  us  pass  to  the  race  and  its  preliminary  history. 
It  was  in  1833,  when  my  father  kept  the  Harlem-park 
Course,  at  its  first  opening,  that  a  Scotch  gentleman  named 
McLeod  owned  a  gray  gelding  called  Paul  Pry.  This 
horse  was  about  twelve  years  old,  sixteen  hands  high,  coarse, 
and  raw-boned,  but  with  a  blood-like  head  and  neck,  and  all 
the  points  good,  though  very  plain.  He  was  a  flea-bitten 
gray,  and  was  thought  to  have  been  got  by  imp.  Messen- 
ger himself.  But  this  was  not  possible,  as  Messenger  died 


124  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

in  1808 ;  and  the  truth  no  doubt  was,  that  Paul  Pry  was 
either  by  on 3  of  Messenger's  sons  or  out  of  one  of  his 
daughters.  This  gray  gelding  belonging  to  Mr.  McLeod 
was  matched  about  this  time  for  $250  a  side  to  trot  sixteen 
miles  within  the  hour,  and  then  $250  more  a  side  for  every 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  sixteen  up  to  seventeen  miles  and 
three-quarters.  Thus  the  whole  amount  at  stake  was 
$2,000  a  side.  Paul  Pry  was  trained  for  this  performance 
on  the  Harlem-park  Course,  under  the  management  of  Mr. 
William  Niblo.  I  gave  him  his  work  under  saddle.  He 
had  it  all  that  way  of  going,  for  he  pulled  so  hard  in  har- 
ness as  to  make  .any  work  that  way  unadvisable.  The 
training  lasted  from  seven  weeks  to  two  months ;  and,  after 
having  got  him  into  shape,  we  felt  confident  that  he  would 
win  all  the  money  up.  His  even  rate  and  staying  qualities 
were  what  we  depended  upon ;  for  Paul  Pry  was  at  no  time 
a  horse  of  brushing  speed,  and  for  this  match  he  had  been 
trained  to  get  the  distance  into  him,  rather  than  develop 
his  speed.  He  could  not  go  better  than  2.45  or  2.46  to  a 
mile ;  but,  what  he  could  do,  he  could  keep  on  doing  for  a 
long  time  when  up  to  the  mark  in  condition. 

The  trot  came  off  on  the  Union  Course  on  the  8th  of 
November.  I  rode  the  horse,  and  rode  him  all  the  way. 
He  won  it  easily.  At  the  end  of  the  seventeen  miles  and 
three-quarters  I  jogged  him  another  quarter,  making 
eighteen  miles ;  and  he  had  a  minute  and  some  five  or  six 
seconds  to  spare  out  of  his  hour.  I  am  persuaded  that  I 
could  have  ridden  twenty  miles  within  the  hour  if  it  had 
been  needed.  At  the  end  of  his  fourteenth  mile,  up  to 
which  the  horse  had  been  going  very  easily  and  evenly,  and 
not  pulling  at  all,  a  gentleman  struck  in  to  keep  me  com- 
pany. But  Paul  Pry  was  immediately  on  his  mettle ;  and  I 
was  compelled  to  beckon  the  gentleman  to  keep  back  when 
he  was  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  behind  me. 
Seeing  that  he  finished  his  eighteen  miles  fresh,  and  that 
at  the  end  of  the  fourteenth  he  would  not  let  another  come 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  125 

within  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  him,  I  have  reason  to 
think  that  he  could  have  trotted  twenty  miles  within  the 
hour.  But  Paul  Pry  was  better  in  a  race  against  time  than 
in  one  with  another  horse ;  for,  when  he  had  company,  he 
would  pull  desperately,  and  fight  with  his  rider  or  driver. 

There  are  not  many  riders  nowadays  that  a  man  would 
like  to  rely  upon  to  ride  eighteen  or  twenty  miles  in  an 
hour,  the  horse  to  trot.  At  the  time  I  speak  of  we  had  a 
number  that  could  ride  trotters  sixteen,  seventeen,  eighteen, 
nineteen,  and  even  twenty  miles  within  the  hour.  We 
had  some  that  would  have  been  backed  to  do  much  better 
than  that.  George  Spicer  offered  a  bet  that  he  would  ride 
one  hundred  miles  on  trotting-horses  in  five  hours'  time 
and,  Jack  Harrison  offered  to  back  me  to  do  the  like. 
Nearly  all  the  trotting  at  that  time  was  done  under  saddle. 
Consequently,  we  had  fine  saddle-horses,  and  a  great  num- 
ber of  good  hardy  riders,  who  could  maintain  their  clip 
with  the  knees  and  thighs,  and  give  their  horses  all  the 
support  they  needed  with  their  hands.  The  number  of  men 
among  us  that  can  now  ride  a  fast  trotter  twenty  miles  an 
hour  is  not  large.  It  is  to  be  regretted,  I  think,  that  the 
saddle-work  and  use  of  trotters  in  that  way  fell  so  nearly 
altogether  into  disuse.  It  is  very  fine  to  see  a  lot  of  good 
trotters  go  away  under  saddle  in  the  hands  of  competent 
riders,  and  make  a  fast  race.  The  young  men  and  lads  now 
have  but  little  chance  to  learn  the  art  of  riding  the  trotting- 
horse  strong  and  well,  for  they  have  next  to  no  practice. 
As  those  who  were  brought  up  in  the  old  school  got  too 
heavy  for  the  business,  there  were  no  others  coming  up  to 
supply  their  place ;  so  that  it  would  be  difficult,  at  this  day, 
to  get  three  or  four  competent  riders  of  trotting-horses 
together.  It  requires  a  combination  of  qualities.  The 
rider  must  have  good  judgment ;  he  must  be  very  strong 
and  lasting,  or  else  there  will  be  danger  of  his  giving  out, 
and,  when  he  does  so,  the  best  horse  in  the  world  would  be 
likely  to  follow  suit. 


126  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

When  Capt.  Moore  offered  to  put  Idlewild  into  a  stake 
against  George  Wilkes,  Lady  Emma,  Gen.  Butler,  or  any 
other  trotters  that  might  choose  to  enter,  the  old  mare 
to  go  four  miles  while  the  trotters  or  any  one  of  them  went 
three,  he  relied  upon  the  notion  that  riders  of  the  right 
weight  could  not  be  found  to  ride  the  trotters.  In  England 
they  formerly  had  an  idea  that  weight  made  but  little 
difference  to  a  trotter,  and  that  a  light-weight  was  not 
calculated  for  the  trotting  action.  Thus  it  will  be  found, 
that,  in  many  of  the  old  English  trotting-matches,  the 
horses  carried  as  much  as  168  pounds,  even  when  they  were 
made  catch-weight.  This  was  never  our  opinion  in  America, 
as  the  doings  at  Baltimore  with  Lady  Kate  showed ;  but 
there  was  this  truth  about  the  notion  —  it  was  better  to 
carry  the  weight  with  a  good  rider  that  could  last  all  the 
way,  than  to  put  up  a  light  boy  who  could  do  nothing  after 
the  firstptwo  or  three  miles  but  just  sit  on  the  horse. 

The  trotting-horse,  to  do  his  work  well  under  saddle,  has 
got  to  be  extended  so  as  to  go  with  ease  to  himself  and 
without  danger  of  breaks.  A  very  considerable  pull  is  often 
required ;  and  some  of  those  which  are  not  "  pullers,"  in  the 
language  of  horsemen,  would  be  thought  by  an  amateur  to 
have  a  great  deal  of  weight  on  the  bit  by  the  time  they  had 
gone  two  miles.  They  are  seldom  to  be  found  without  a 
disposition  to  pull  somewhere  in  the  race ;  and,  with  a  very 
light  boy  on  the  back  of  them,  it  would  probably  be  all  over 
then.  I  find,  in  looking  back  at  an  old  English  book  with 
which  I  sometimes  amuse  myself,  that,  when  E-obson's 
mare  trotted  seventeen  miles  in  fifty-three  minutes,  she  was 
ridden  by  a  boy  out  of  the  racing-stables,  who  could  ride  a 
trotter,  and  only  weighed  about  seventy  pounds.  Now,  this 
mare  could  not  have  been  a  puller,  and  in  that  particular, 
with  ability  to  go  a  distance,  it  would  be  hard  to  find  one 
like  her.  Still  I  venture  to  say  that  it  would  be  easier  to 
find  such  a  mare  than  such  a  boy.  I  was  light  when  I  rode 
Lady  Kate  and  Paul  Pry,  but  not  so  light  as  that  by  a  great 


THE   TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA.  127 

deal.  I  have  said  that  Paul  Pry  did  not  pull  in  the 
eighteen-mile  race  except  when  the  gentleman  struck  in  to 
keep  us  company  and  excited  him.  That  means,  that  he 
did  not  pull  so  as  to  distress  himself  or  tire  me.  He  always 
went  up  to  the  bit.  In  harness,  he  would  pull  a  man  out 
of  the  sulky,  whether  there  was  company  by  him  or  not. 
Two  years  before  I  rode  him  the  time-race,  he  went 
against  Lady  Seyton,  three-mile  heats  in  harness.  The 
Lady  was  the  queen  of  the  trotters  of  that  day.  She  was 
a  chestnut,  about  fifteen  hands  two  inches  high,  and  blood- 
like  in  appearance.  My  father  had  her  in  charge,  and  I 
took  care  of  her.  Joel  Conkling  drove,  and  Matt  Clintock 
drove  Paul  Pry.  The  race  was  over  the  Centreville.  When 
they  started,  the  gray  settled  down  upon  Matt's  arms,  and 
pulled  about  a  ton.  Lady  Seyton  went  on,  and  distanced 
him  the  first  heat  in  8m.  11s.  That  was  the  first  time  it 
was  ever  made  in  harness,  and  the  mare  was  the  best  of  her 
day. 


xm. 

Messenger's  Son,  Topgallant. — His  wonderful  Indurance.  —  My  Uncle, 
George  Woodruff.  —  Topgallant's  Race  when  Twenty-two  Years  Old.  — 
His  Race  when  Twenty-four  Years  Old.  —  Three-mile  Heats.  —  His  Race 
of  Three-mile  Heats  the  next  Week. 

~T~  SHALL  now  proceed  to  say  something  about  one  of  the 
1  most  remarkable  trotting  horses  that  this  country  ever 
produced.  He  was  in  fact,  in  some  respects,  the  most 
.extraordinary  trotter  that  ever  came  under  my  observation. 
In  the  capital  points  of  longevity  and  endurance,  I  never 
knew  quite  his  equal,  all  things  taken  into  account.  When 
I  say  longevity,  I  mean  length  of  days  while  serviceable  as 
a  trotter,  and  able  to  meet  and  beat,  very  often,  the  best  of 
his  time.  I  do  not  mean  vegetating  about,  half  dead  at  the 
root  and  rotten  at  the  trunk,  as  many  of  the  horses  spoken 
of  for  their  longevity  have  been.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  in  the  early  part  of  this  work,  while  speaking  of  the 
best  method  to  be  adopted  in  the  raising  of  colts  and  the 
treatment  of  young  horses,  I  declared  my  conviction,  that,  to- 
a  certain  extent,  early  maturity  and  early  hard  work  in 
training  and  racing  were  nearly  always  followed  by  pre- 
mature decay.  I  have  also  spoken  of  the  iron  constitutions 
and  uncommon  durability  in  point  of  time,  as  well  as  endur- 
ance in  going  a  distance  by  reason  of  natural  stoutness, 
which  were  inherited  in  a  remarkable  degree  by  most  of 
those  closely  descended  from  the  famous  horse  imported 
Messenger.  That  horse  I  never  saw,  for  he  died  about 
seven  years  before  I  was  born ;  but,  with  one  of  his  best 
sons  I  had  no  little  acquaintance. 

128 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  -129 

I  speak  of  old  Topgallant,  one  of  the  best  and  stoutest 
that  ever  looked  through  a  bridle.  It  will  soon  be  forty 
years  since  I  first  rode  the  horse  at  his  exercise ;  and,  after 
he  began  his  racing-career  and  went  into  my  uncle's  hands, 
we  had  many  a  long  day  together.  As  I  have  said,  Top- 
gallant was  a  son  of  imp.  Messenger.  He  was  a  dark  bay 
horse,  fifteen  hands  three  inches  high,  plain  and  raw-boned, 
but  with  rather  a  fine  head  and  neck,  and  an  eye  expressive 
of  much  courage.  He  was  spavined  in  both  hind-legs,  and 
his  tail  was  slim  at  the  root.  His  spirit  was  very  high  j 
and  yet  he  was  so  reliable  that  he  would  hardly  ever  break, 
and  his  bottom  was  of  the  finest  and  toughest  quality.  He 
was  live-oak  as  well  as  hickory,  for  the  best  of  his  races 
were  made  after  he  was  twenty  years  old.  Topgallant 
was  raised  on  Long  Island.  He  was  more  than  fourteen 
years  of  age  before  he  was  known  at  all  as  a  trotter,  except 
that  he  could  go  a  distance  —  the  whole  length  of  the  New- 
York  road  —  as  well  as  any  horse  that  had  ever  been  extend- 
ed on  it.  Topgallant  then  belonged  to  a  gentleman  named 
Green ;  and  Mr.  M.  D.  Green,  who  now  resides  in  the  city 
and  is  well  known,  must  be  acquainted  with  many  particu- 
lars about  the  horse.  After  a  time,  when  he  was  well 
stricken  in  years,  Topgallant  was  taken  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  many  races.  It  was  prior  to  this 
when  I  used  first  to  ride  him  for  exercise. 

In  the  year  1829,  when  in  his  twenty-second  year,  Top- 
gallant trotted  four-mile  heats  against  Whalebone,  over 
the  Hunting-park  Course,  Philadelphia;  and  there  were 
four  heats  before  it  was  decided.  Like  Topgallant, 
Whalebone  was  a  New- York  horse.  Prior  to  that  time  ho 
had  been  owned  by  Capt.  Dunn,  one  of  the  partners  of 
the  firm  of  Brown  &  Dunn,  livery-stable  keepers.  Whale- 
bone was  a  remarkably  handsome  horse,  —  a  fine  blood  bay, 
sixteen  hands  three  inches  high,  and  he  had  but  one  eye. 
He  ought  to  have  been  called  Waxy,  instead  of  Whale- 
bone 5  for  in  all  these  particulars  he  resembled  the  famous 


130  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

English  thoroughbred  of  that  name,  who  was  the  son  of 
Pot-8-os,  and  the  sire  of  Whalebone,  Whisker,  Woful, 
Web,  Wire,  etc.  Of  his  pedigree  nothing  was  known. 
He  looked  like  a  thoroughbred  horse,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  splendid  geldings  I  ever  saw.  At  the  time  of  the 
race,  Whalebone  belonged  to  Mr.  Coddle  of  Philadelphia, 
and  George  Spicer  rode  him. 

Topgallant  was  trained  and  ridden  by  my  uncle,  George 
Woodruff,  who  was  then  a  young  man.  He  was  then  five 
feet  ten  inches  high,  and  one  hundred  and  forty-seven 
pounds  in  weight.  A  finer  rider  of  a  trotting-horse  was 
never  seen.  He  was  straight,  spare,  and  sinewy,  very 
strong  and  lasting.  He  is  still  the  same  upright,  spare, 
sinewy  man,  and  as  spry  as  ever  with  a  horse,  though  more 
than  sixty  years  of  age.  Topgallant  won  the  race  after  a 
desperate  struggle.  Whalebone  got  one  heat,  and  there 
was  a  dead  one.  The  time  of  the  heats  in  this  famous 
race  was  as  follows:  llm.  16s.,  llm.  06s.,  llm.  17s., 
and  12m.  15s.  Eorty-fi  ve  minutes  and  forty-four  seconds 
for  the  sixteen  miles,  which  is  just  2m.  52  1-Ss.  to  the  mile ! 
Now,  was  there  a  horse  before,  or  has  there  been  one  since, 
that  in  his  twenty-second  year  could  beat  it  ?  I  might  go 
further,  and  ask  whether  there  wrill  ever  be  one  that  can  do 
it  again. 

The  rate  of  this  race  was  better  than  twenty  miles  an 
hour ;  and  it  may  well  be  thought  that  the  old  horse  of 
twenty-two  years  old,  who  could  trot  four  four-milo  heats  at 
a  gait  that  would  have  made  twenty  miles  in  less  than 
fifty-eight  minutes,  could  have  gone  the  twenty  in  an  hour. 
He  could  have  gone  along  at  an  even  rate,  had  it  been 
twenty  miles  against  time,  and  would  not  have  been  pushed 
along  so  as  to  make  four  miles  in  11.  06s.,  which  was  at  the 
rate  of  2m.  46^s.  to  the  mile.  In  long  performances 
against  time,  it  is  the  level,  even  rate  that  wins.  If  Capt. 
McGowan  had  been  made  to  go  his  fifth,  sixth, 
seventh,  and  eighth  miles  in  llm.  06s.  instead  of  llm. 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  131 

34£s.  in  which  he  trotted  them,  it  might  have  a  vast  differ- 
ence at  the  end  of  his  twenty  miles. 

But  we  have  not  done  with  this  gallant  veteran  yet. 
True,  he  was  then  in  his  twenty-second  year,  and  spavined 
in  both  legs ;  but  he  was  a  young  one  compared  to  some  of 
the  poor  decrepit  animals  we  sometimes  see  staggering 
about,  overkneed,  and  twisted  up  and  knuckled  behind,  and 
utterly  ruined  in  constitution,  as  well  as  in  their  legs,  before 
they  are  ten  years  old.  We  must  follow  the  evergreen, 
live-oak,  old  Topgallant  into  his  twenty-fourth  year,  and 
see  what  he  did  when  his  days  were  nigh  unto  those  of  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  It  was  in  1831,  two  years  after  the 
race  above  mentioned,  and  when  the  old  horse  was  in  his 
twenty-fourth  year,  that  he  and  Whalebone  and  six  others 
met  on  the  Hunting-park  Course  at  Philadelphia,  and 
trotted  a  race  of  three-mile  heats.  Thus  there  were  eight 
trotters  in  the  race :  Dread,  ridden  by  George  Spicer ; 
Topgallant,  ridden  by  Matt  Clintock  in  the  first  three 
heats,  and  by  Uncle  George  Woodruff  in  the  fourth; 
Collector,  ridden  by  Peter  Whelan ;  Chancellor,  ridden  by 
Frank  Duffy ;  Whalebone,  ridden  by  Frank  Tolbert  in  the 
first  two  heats,  but  in  the  third  by  George  Woodruff; 
Lady  Jackson,  ridden  by  John  Vanderbilt ;  Moonshine,  by 
James  Hammil ;  and  Columbus,  by  George  Woodruff,  until 
he  broke  down  in  the  second  heat.  Dread  was  a  handsome 
bay  gelding,  about  fifteen  hands  and  an  inch,  a  beautiful 
goer,  and  a  horse  of  capital  bottom.  Columbus  was  a 
bright  bay  horse,  sixteen  hands  high.  In  the  first  part  of 
his  career  he  was  called  the  Acker  Colt,  and  at  that  time 
George  Spicer  took  care  of  him.  He  afterwards  went  to 
Philadelphia,  and  passed  into  my  uncle's  care.  He  was 
the  first  horse  that  ever  beat  eight  minutes  in  a  three-mile 
heat.  Peter  Whelan  rode  him  in  7m.  58s. ;  James  Black 
of  Philadelphia  owned  him  at  that  time.  Chancellor  was 
a  handsome  dapple  gray,  with  a  long  tail.  At  that  time 
most  of  our  horses  were  docked.  He  was  about  fifteen 


132  TUE  TROTTING-IIORSE   OF  AMERICA. 

hands  two  inches,  and  had  a  deal  of  style.  A  little  after 
this  race,  in  the  same  year  and  on  the  same  course,  he 
trotted  thirty-two  miles  in  two  hours ;  and  in  that  Harvey 
Eichards  rode  him.  Lady  Jackson  was  a  red  gray  mare, 
fifteen  hands  and  half  an  inch  high.  She  was  quite  hand- 
some. Moonshine  was  a  dark  gray  gelding,  fifteen  hands 
and  a  half  high  with  a  long  tail.  He  was  a  fine,  stylish 
horse. 

The  odds  at  the  start  for  the  first  heat  was  on  Columhus, 
a  hundred  to  seventy  against  the  field.  It  was  one  of  the 
finest  sights  I  ever  saw  when  these  eight  splendid  bays  and 
grays,  all  in  the  finest  order,  and  their  jockeys  in  the 
richest  and  most  varied  colors  and  beautiful  costumes,  came 
thundering  along  for  the  word,  in  a  group,  at  the  flying 
trot.  Eight  such  horses  and  such  riders  had  never  met 
before,  and  it  is  doubtful  when  they  will  again.  Never, 
certainly,  until  the  good  old  customs  of  using  trotting- 
horses  under  saddle,  and  requiring  the  jockeys  to  ride  in 
dress,  are  revived. 

At  the  period  I  speak  of,  and  prior  to  that,  the  riders  of 
the  trotters  had  always  to  be  dressed  in  jockey  costume  for 
the  race ;  and  there  was  a  great  deal  of  expense  and  taste 
laid  out  in  the  rich  velvets  and  silks  of  vivid  hue  of  which 
the  jackets  and  caps  were  made  up.  The  word  being  given, 
away  they  went  for  the  first  heat  of  three  miles ;  and  Col- 
lector had  Hie  speed  of  the  party.  Columbus  did  not 
go  as  well  j,s  usual.  At  this  distance  of  time,  and  referring 
to  nothing  but  my  own  memory,  I  do  not  venture  to  place 
all  the  horses.  If  it  be  required,  with  some  further  con- 
sideration and  a  look  at  a  document  or  two  calculated  to 
freshen  my  recollection,  I  may  hereafter  do  that.  I  know 
that  Collector  won  the  heat  with  great  ease  in  8.16  ;  and 
that  Peter  Whelan  said  afterwards  that  he  could  have 
distanced  the  whole  of  the  others,  in  his  opinion,  if  his 
party  had  let  him  go  along.  The  next  heat  was  won  by 
old  Topgallant ;  and  in  this  Columbus  broke  down.  There- 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  133 

upon,  George  Woodruff  mounted  Whalebone  for  the  third 
heat. 

The  excitement  was  very  great,  and  away  they  went 
again.  This  time  Dread  won ;  and  Whalebone,  not  having 
won  a  heat  in  three,  was  ruled  out.  Now,  then,  George 
Woodruff  mounted  old  Topgallant  for  the  last  struggle. 
At  that  time  there  was  no  rule  against  having  more  than 
one  horse  entered  and  started  in  a  race  of  heats  from  the 
same  stable.  In  this  race  we  had  three,  — -  Topgallant, 
Whalebone,  and  Columbus  ;  and  such  were  the  vicissitudes 
and  fortunes  of  the  day,  that,  before  it  was.  over,  my  uncle 
had  ridden  them  all  three.  The  only  horses  that  had  won 
a  heat  were  Collector,  Topgallant,  and  Dread;  and,  of 
course,  these  alone  came  to  the  post  for  the  fourth  heat, 
the  great  riders,  Peter  Whelan,  George  Woodruff,  and 
George  Spicer,  being  on  them  respectively.  The  veteran 
of  twenty-four  years,  old  Topgallant,  went  away  under  full 
sail,  and  led  them  for  two  miles  and  some  two  or  three 
hundred  yards  ;  but  Dread  then  came  along  and  passed  him, 
and  won  the  deciding  heat  easily. 

These  horses,  it  will  be  perceived,  trotted  twelve  miles ; 
and  here  was  old  Topgallant,  beaten  in  the  race,  it  is  true, 
but  winner  of  a  heat,  and  second  in  the  last  heat,  thus 
getting  second  place  in  the  race.  The  following  week,  after 
this  great  race  at  Philadelphia,  we  went  to  Baltimore,  where 
they  gave  a  purse  of  three  hundred  dollars,  three-mile  heats. 
Topgallant  and  Whalebone  contended  for  it ;  George  Wood- 
ruff riding  Topgallant,  and  George  Spicer,  Whalebone.  Top- 
gallant won  it.  This  shows  the  tremendous  endurance  and 
recuperative  energy  of  that  wonderful  horse's  constitution. 
One  week  a  very  hard  race  of  four  three-mile  heats,  against 
all  the  best  horses  of  the  day :  the  next  week  another  race 
of  three-mile  heats  against  Whalebone ;  and  this  Topgal- 
lant won  easily,  being,  as  I  have  before  said,  but  which 
cannot  too  often  be  repeated,  in  his  twenty-fourth  year. 

It  is  here  worthy  of  remark  that  Whalebone  himself  was 


134  THE   TROTTING-UORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

driven  by  my  uncle,  George  Woodruff,  thirty-two  miles  in 
two  hours,  over  the  Hunting-park  Course,  Philadelphia. 
In  the  course  of  this  race  against  time,  the  first  sulky  used 
broke  down  on  the  backstretch  of  the  course,  and  another 
had  to  be  sent  for  and  taken  to  the  spot.  This  caused  a 
delay  of  four  minutes ;  but  nevertheless,  when  hitched  up 
again,  Whalebone  went  on,  and  won  the  race  easily.  For 
my  part,  I  admired  Whalebone  greatly,  but  I  was  much 
attached  to  old  Topgallant.  I  took  care  of  him  at  the 
time  of  the  great  race  between  the  eight  at  the  Hunting- 
park  Course,  and  the  one  the  following  week  at  Baltimore ; 
and  I  have  always  been  proud,  that,  so  early  in  my  experi- 
ence of  trotting-horses,  I  knew  this  almost  everlasting  son 
of  the  renowned  Messenger.  I  have  said  that  this  famous 
trotter  was  spavined  in  both  hind-legs,  and  so  he  was  ;  but 
the  spavins  never  made  him  lame,  and  were  really  no 
detriment  to  him.  As  a  rule,  no  horse,  ever  had  better  legs 
than  the  Messengers. 

So  far  as  I  am  informed,  there  is  not  another  instance  in 
the  annals  of  either  the  running  or  the  trotting  turf,  of  a 
horse  which  has  raced  and  won,  especially  three  and  four 
mile  heats,  when  upwards  of  twenty  years  of  age.  The 
oldest  I  can  find  on  the  running-turf  was  Buckhunter,  a 
gelding  by  the  Bald  Galloway,  who  ran  in  England  when 
upwards  of  sixteen  years  old,  and  might  have  run  on  some 
time  longer  if  he  had  not  broken  a  leg.  The  Messengers 
were  always  a  lasting  and  long-lived  breed  of  horses.  Top- 
gallant was  twenty-eight  when  he  died.  His  sire,  Mam- 
brino,  was  upwards  of  twenty  when  last  advertised  to  cover 
in  England,  and  was  eleven  when  he  ran  his  last  race.  His 
sire^  Engineer,  ran  till  he  was  ten,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven.  In  this  country  a  daughter  of  the  tribe, 
Lady  Blanche,  the  first  filly  that  Abdallah  got,  went  a 
trotting-race  when  she  was  about  twenty.  These  things 
must  be  borne  in  mind. 


XIV. 


The  Indian  Horse  Lylee.  —  Eunjeet  Singh's  Passion  for  Horses.  —  The  Bat- 
ties  fought  for  Lylee.  —  Description  of  him.  —  Lady  Blanche.  —  Awful. 
—  His  Race  with  Screwdriver.  —  Blanche,  Snowdrop,  and  Beppo.  —  Death 
of  Blanche.  —  Ajax  and  Oneida  Chief.  —  Their  Road-Race  to  Sleighs.  — 
Brown  Rattler. 

A  LTHOUGH  Topgallant  was  tlie  most  remarkable 
-LjL.  instance  of  extraordinary  trotting  power  and  endur- 
ance, when  at  a  great  age,  that  ever  came  under  my  notice, 
he  was  not  the  only  one.  Most  of  those  which  have  been 
celebrated  for  this  capital  excellence  were  of  the  Messenger 
blood  ;  and  it  will  be  remembered  that  I  noticed  this  point 
in  that  strain  of  horses  when  mentioning  them  in  the  prior 
chapters  of  this  work.  Singularly  enough,  it  happens  that 
I  took  up  an  old  book  of  travels  a  day  or  two  ago,  which 
made  mention  of  a  very  celebrated  horse,  one  who  is  indeed 
historical,  that  had  all  the  external  points  of  that  family. 
I  do  not,  of  course,  pretend  to  say  that  he  was  of  the  blood, 
for  the  horse  in  question  was  in  the  East  Indies  ;  but,  as  he 
was  undoubtedly  produced  by  a  union  of  the  Arab  or  other 
Eastern  breed  with  some  horse  either  English  or  of  English 
origin,  he  may  have  been  more  nearly  related  to  Messenger, 
Mambrino,  and  Engineer,  than  one  would  at  the  first  sup- 
pose, when  I  say  that  he  lived  and  died  on  the  banks  of  the 
Indus.  I  allude  to  the  old  horse  Lylee,  the  prime  favorite 
of  the  Maharajah,  E-unjeet  Singh,  the  old  "  Lion  of  the 
Punjaub"  as  the  British  called  him.  This  great  warrior 
prince  had,  in  common  with  many  other  remarkable  men, 
an  extraordinary  passion  for  horses.  It  was  so  strong,  that 

135 


136  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

it  passed  into  a  proverb  in  the  East,  and  some  said  amount- 
ed to  a  species  of  insanity.  His  name  was  great  among  all 
the  teeming  myriads  of  that  ancient  land ;  and  whenever 
it  was  mentioned,  either  by  Brahmin,  Mussulman,  or  Euro- 
pean, it  was  almost  always  coupled  with  that  of  his  favorite 
steed,  the  gray  horse  Lylee. 

Old  Runjeet  spent  untold  millions  upon  his  stud;  and 
his  horses  were  caparisoned  in  so  sumptuous  a  manner  that 
it  would  have  raised  the  envy  of  a  Broadway  belle.  Bridles 
and  saddles  inlaid  with  gold  and  studded  with  precious 
stones  ;  necklaces  of  costly  gems,  fastened  underneath  with 
onyx  (believed  to  possess  talismanic  virtue)  ;  and  hangings  of 
the  richest  stuff  which  goes  to  make  the  famous  shawls  of 
Cashmere,  —  were  the  trappings  of  the  celebrated  stallions. 
But  though  more  richly  adorned  than  the  steed  of  Caligula, 
the  horses  of  Runjeet  Singh  were  kept  for  use  as  much  as 
show.  The  old  monarch  was  a  desperate  rider,  as  well  as 
one  of  the  greatest  warriors  that  India  has  ever  seen.  He 
computed,  that,  from  first  to  last,  Lylee  had  cost  him  no 
less  than  three  millions  of  dollars  and  the  lives  of  twelve 
thousand  men.  The  horse,  when  he  first  became  celebrated, 
was  the  property  of  Yan  Mohammed  Khan,  who  ruled  a 
great  tract  of  country,  and  had  his  capital  at  Peshawur. 
The  fame  of  Lylee  soon  spread  through  all  the  vast  regions 
watered  by  the  Indus  and  its  tributaries;  and  Runjeet 
Singh,  unable  to  obtain  him  by  negotiation,  went  to  war 
for  him.  After  a  long  contest,  the  arms  of  the  Maharajah 
prevailed ;  and  he  made  it  a  preliminary  condition  of  peace 
that  Lylee  should  be  delivered  to  him. 

Mohammed  Khan  had  failed  to  defend  the  possession  of 
Lylee  by  the  sword,  and  now  sought  to  evade  his  delivery 
by  chicane.  He  at  first  pretended  that  the  horse  was  dead, 
and,  when  R-unjeet  was  not  to  be  put  off  by  that  subterfuge, 
sought  to  impose  another  horse  on  him  instead  of  the  real 
Lylee.  Before  Runjeet  Singh  had  obtained  possession  of 
the  horse,  Yan  Mohammed  died,  and  his  brother,  Sooltan 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  137 

Mohammed,  succeeded  to  the  throne  at  Peshawur.  He 
continued  to  interpose  prevarication  and  procrastination  to 
the  demands  of  the  Maharajah;  but  the  matter  was  finally 
brought  to  an  issue  by  one  Ventura,  an  Italian  soldier  of 
fortune,  and  a  general  in  K-unjeet's  service.  Having  made 
another  formal  demand  for  Lylee,  he  was  met,  as  all  the 
other  negotiators  had  been,  with  quibbles  from  Sooltan 
Khan;  whereupon,  calling  up  a  lot  of  soldiers  whom  he 
had  instructed  to  straggle  after  him  into  the  courtyard 
of  the  palace,  he  declared  Sooltan  his  prisoner.  Thereupon 
Lylee  was  delivered  up ;  but,  to  maintain  possession  of  him, 
the  Maharajah  was  obliged  to  fight  another  war. 

In  1839,  this  horse  was  seen  by  some  English  officers. 
He  was  then  very  old  —  they  could  not  say  how  old  —  and 
feeble ;  a  flee-bitten  gray,  standing  over  sixteen  hands  high, 
and  with  all  the  plain  strength  of  a  coarse,  thoroughbred 
horse.  So  much  for  Lylee,  whose  description  would  answer 
well  for  one  of  the  Messengers. 

We  will  pass  from  him  to  one  that  was  unquestionably 
of  the  Messenger  blood,  —  the  gray  mare  Lady  Blanche,  by 
Abdallah.  This  mare  was  raised  by  Mr.  John  Treadwell, 
who  also  raised  her  sire  Abdallah,  on  the  island  here.  She 
was  certainly  one  of  the  first  foals,  if  not  the  very  first, 
that  Abdallah  got.  According  to  Mr.  Treadwell,  and  the 
unbroken  tradition  of  his  men,  she  was  the  first  got  by  that' 
grandson  of  imported  Messenger.  Lady  Blanche  was  a 
handsome  gray  mare,  fifteen  hands  two  and  a  half  inches 
high,  with  a  long  tail.  She  was  foaled  in  1829,  and,  when 
rising  six  years  old,  was  matched  against  Awful  to  trot 
under  saddle  for  two  thousand  dollars  a  side,  half  forfeit, 
over  the  Centreville  Course.  At  that  time,  Awful  was 
owned  by  Mr.  S.  ISTeal  of  New  York.  He  cut  his  quarter, 
and  was  compelled  to  pay  forfeit.  He  was  a  bay,  fifteen 
hands  two  inches  high,  and  a  lofty  goer. 

After  this  match,  he  was  sold  to  the  Messrs.  Anderson  of 
New  York,  and  matched  against  Screwdriver,  a  sorrel  pony, 


138  THE  TROTTING-UORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

the  property  of  Washington  Costar  of  New  York.  The 
race  was  three-mile  heats,  in  harness,  over  the  Centreville 
Course,  for  one  thousand  dollars  a  side ;  and  Awful  won  it 
easily  in  two  heats.  I  afterwards  beat  him  several  times 
with  Dutchman,  but  shall  reserve  reciting  the  facts  until 
we  come  down  to  the  career  of  that  horse.  On  the  day  set 
down  for  the  race  between  Lady  Blanche  and  Awful,  the 
mare  was  led  on  to  the  course  by  Mr.  Treadwell,  his  farmer 
John  being  already  in  the  saddle  to  ride  her.  Much  to  the 
disappointment  of  many,  forfeit  was  declared  on  the  part 
of  Awful.  After  that  Mr.  Treadwell  used  to  drive  Lady 
Blanche  on  the  road,  in  an  old  stick  sulky  that  he  had  got, 
and  he  put  her  through  some  sharp  work.  At  a  later 
period,  Tom  Hyer  had  her,  and  banged  her  up  and  down 
the  roads  and  all  about  New  York  for  a  long  time.  He 
always  thought  a  vast  deal  of  this  gray  mare;  and,  if  she 
had  not  inherited  the  cast-steel  qualities  of  the  Messenger 
tribe,  I  doubt  whether  she  would  ever  have  recovered  from 
the  effects  of  his  system  of  driving. 

The  mare  was  getting  on  in  years,  all  battered  up,  and 
apparently  worn  out ;  so  Tom  Hyer  sold  her  in  the  ring  at 
TattersalFs  for  less  than  one  hundred  dollars.  Mr.  George 
Hopkins  bought  her,  and  sent  her  to  the  West,  —  to  Wis- 
consin, I  believe.  She  was  there  until  she  was  more  than 
twenty  years  old,  when  he  got  her  back,  and  sold  her  to  Mr. 
S.  D.  Hoagland.  Her  capacity  as  a  trotter  at  such  an  age 
was  very  remarkable.  She  was  either  twenty-three  or 
twenty-four  years  old,  —  probably  the  latter,  —  when  she 
went  against  Snowdrop  and  Beppo  on  the  Union  Course. 
Snowdrop  was  a  white  gelding,  fifteen  hands  high,  —  a 
handsome  horse:  I  drove  him.  Beppo,  a  chestnut,  scant 
fifteen  hands,  and  a  stylish  stepper,  was  driven  by  Dan 
Pfifer.  The  old  mare,  driven  by  Sim  Hoagland,  won  it  in 
four  heats,  the  best  of  which  was  2.43,  or  thereabouts.  The 
next  week,  Lady  Blanche  and  Beppo  went  to  wagons,  the 
samo  drivers.  Hoagland's  weight  at  that  time  was  from 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  139 

two  hundred  and  live  pounds  to  two  hundred  and  ten 
pounds;  but  old  Blanche  was  well  put  up  to  pull  it. 
Blanche  won  the  second  race.  Prior  to  those,  she  won  one 
on  the  road,  ridden  by  Harry  Jones ;  but  I  did  not  see  it. 

In  1855,  this  famous  old  mare  literally  "  died  in  harness." 
Mr.  Hoagland  had  been  working  her  with  the  intention  to 
take  her  to  Baltimore  to  trot  against  Sorrel  Fanny,  who 
had  challenged  the  world,  for  her  age.  She  was  twenty- 
two  ;  Blanche  was  twenty-five,  and  would  certainly  have 
warmed  her  if  she  had  lived  a  little  longer.  Mr.  Hoagland 
had  been  at  the  track  that  morning  with  Blanche,  and  she 
never  went  better.  She  looked  as  fine  as  silk,  too,  consider- 
ing her  great  age  and  what  she  had  gone  through.  He  put 
her  under  the  shed  at  John  I.  Snediker's,  and  all  at  once 
saw  a  spasm  go  through  her.  As  soon  as  the  mare  could  be 
got  out  of  the  shafts,  she  laid  herself  gently  down,  and  died 
of  enlargement  of  the  heart.  You  may  see  her  picture  at 
Hoagland's,  at  East  New  York.  It  represents  her  doing 
all  she  knows ;  and  Sim  is  well  painted,  with  a  look  of  satis- 
faction beaming  on  his  face,  driving  her.. 

Another  instance  of  great  staying  power  at  an  advanced 
age  was  Ajax,  who  was  also  by  Abdallah.  He  was  out  of  a 
good  little  road-mare,  and  was  a  handsome,  stout,  brown 
horse,  fourteen  hands  three  inches  high,  with  a  long  tail 
and  slim  at  the  root  like  his  sire.  This  little  horse  had 
immense  power.  He  was  built  a  good  deal  like  his  nephew 
Dexter,  by  Hambletonian,  but -was  even  thicker  through 
behind.  When  Ajax  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  was 
matched  to  trot  against  Mr.  Charlick's  bay  mare  twenty 
miles  under  saddle,  for  one  thousand  dollars  a  side.  Ste- 
phen Weart  owned  Ajax;  Isaac  Woodruff  rode  him. 
C.  S.  Bartine,  who  afterwards  drove  Trustee  the  twenty 
miles  within  an  hour,  rode  Mr.  Charlick's  mare.  Ajax  beat 
her  very  handily.  The  mare  was  pulled  out  before  the  finish ; 
and  the  little  horse  went  on,  and  completed  the  distance. 

Ajax  was  foaled  at  Bath,  Long   Island,  in   1832.    In 


140  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

1836,  when  he  was  four  years  old,  I  drove  him  a  mile  on 
the  Centreville  Course  in  three  minutes  and  thirty  seconds. 
At  that  time  he  belonged  to  Mr.  Edwards  of  Philadelphia. 
Being  disposed  of,  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Samuel 
Coope  of  Brooklyn,  and  was  used  by  him  on  the  road  for 
some  years.  In  the  winter  of  1842,  I  drove  him  a  noted 
match  to  sleighs  against  the  celebrated  pacer  Oiieida 
Chief,  who  was  afterwards  taken  to  England.  The  Chief 
was  the  best  pacer  we  had  had  at  that  time ;  but,  neverthe- 
less, Ajax  was  matched  to  go  the  length  of  the  road  against 
him,  from  Bradshaw's,  near  Harlem  Bridge,  to  the  pave- 
ments at  Twenty-eighth  Street.  Oneida  Chief  was  a  hand- 
some chestnut,  with  three  white  legs  and  a  blaze.  He 
stood  about  fifteen  hands  and  half  an  inch.  The  match 
was  made  one  afternoon  to  go  the  next  day.  Mr.  Harry 
Jones  drove  the  pacer.  It  was  a  very  cold  day,  and  the 
snow  somewhat  drifted.  At  that  time  there  were  but  few 
houses  along  the  road,  except  for  public  accommodation. 
Where  the  Central  Park  now  is  was  a  rough,  desolate  tract. 
At  the  start  from  Bradshaw's,  I  went  away  at  a  good 
rate,  for  I  knew  the  bottom  of  the  gallant  little  Ajax,  and 
relied  upon  it  to  cut  down  his  opponent  in  the  length  of  the 
road.  It  was  lined  on  both  sides,  from  Bradshaw's  to  the 
city ;  and  I  question  whether  there  were  ever  as  many  out 
at  one  time  since  that  day.  There  they  were  in  the  snow, 
buttoned  and  muffled  up,  and  their  noses  blue  with  cold,  or 
red  from  the  effects  of  the  hot  apple-jack  they  ran  into  the 
houses  every  now  and  then  to  take.  At  last  we  came, 
squaring  away,  and  going  .through  them  pretty  fast.  The 
snow  flew  where  it  had  drifted ;  and  the  runners  of  the 
sleighs  made  it  shriek  again,  as  they  slid  over  it  to  the 
music  of  the  bells.  I  kept  ahead,  making  the  pace  hot ; 
and,  when  we  had  gone  two  miles  and  a  qi:  arter  to  York- 
ville,  Jones  gave  it  up,  and  stopped  the  pacer.  After  that, 
many  others  turned  in  to  brush  with  me  as  I  went  along ; 
but  none  of  them  could  live  far  with  Ajax.  As  we  neared 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  141 

the  city,  the  crowds  grew  greater ;  there  was  more  noise 
and  cheering,  and  more  furious  jangling  of  the  sleigh-bells 
as  the  gentlemen  drove  their  horses  about,  up  and  down  the 
sides  of  the  road.  The  more  the  noise  and  confusion,  the 
greater  the  speed  of  Ajax.  He  got  upon  his  mettle ;  and 
towards  the  last  of  it,  we  went  so  fast,  that  the  people 
could  recognize  neither  him  nor  me,  and  remained  in  doubt 
what  it  was  that  had  gone  by  like  a  flash,  through  the 
crowd,  and  won  it.  There  was  not  a  horse  in  America 
capable  of  beating  Ajax  from  Bradshaw's  to  the  pavement 
on  that  day.  That  was  sleighing  ! 

In  the  following  year,  Ajax,  being  then  eleven  years  old, 
was  matched  against  Brown  Rattler  of  Baltimore,  three- 
mile  heats,  under  saddle,  on  the  Beacon  Course,  New 
Jersey.  I  rode  Ajax ;  James  Whelply  rode  Brown  Rattler. 
The  day  was  rainy,  and  the  course  very  heavy.  Ajax  car- 
ried fifteen  pounds  over  weight ;  for,  with  the  saddle,  I  was 
a  hundred  and  sixty  pounds.  We  distanced  the  Baltimore 
horse  the  first  heat ;  the  time  of  the  miles  being  2.44,  2.42, 
2.37,  —  total  three  miles,  8.03.  Ajax  was  a  wonderful  little 
horse  to  carry  weight  and  stay.  Indeed,  he  was  only  little 
in  height,  being  a  big  horse  on  short  legs.  Ajax  went 
another  race  with  a  horse  that  was  afterwards  taken  to 
England,  besides  the  one  with  the  pacer  Oneida  Chief.  It 
was  Sir  William,  a  chestnut  gelding,  fifteen  hands  and  an 
inch  high,  and  with  one  white  foot  behind.  He  was  a  fine- 
looking  horse,  and  a  great  strider.  Whether  they  put  him 
to  good  use  in  England,  I  have  never  learned.  The  race 
between  him  and  Ajax  was  three-mile  heats,  under  saddle, 
on  the  Beacon  Course.  Sir  William  was  handled  by  George 
Spicer,  and  ridden  by  John  Spicer.  Ajax  got  one  heat, 
but  lost  the  other  two  and  the  race. 


XV. 

The  Trotter  Dutchman.  —  Description  of  him. — Pedigree  doubtful.— 
Dutchman  and  Locomotive.  —  Dutchman  and  Yankee  Doodle.  —  Dutch- 
man, Fanny  Pullen,  and  Confidence.  —  Dutchman  and  Lady  Slipper.  — 
Dutchman,  Lady  Warrenton,  Teamboat,  and  Norman  Leslie.  —  Dutch- 
man and  Greenwich  Maid.  —  Dutchman  and  Washington.  —  Dutchman, 
Lady  Suffolk,  and  Battler.  —  Description  of  Lady  Suffolk  and  Rattler. 

I  SHALL  now  give  a  sketch  of  one  of  the  most  famous 
trotters  that  ever  was  known.  I  speak  of  Dutchman, 
who,  for  the  combined  excellences  of  speed,  bottom,  and 
constitutional  vigor,  equal  to  the  carrying  on  of  a  long 
campaign  and  improving  on  it,  has  had  few  if  any  equals, 
and  certainly  no  superior.  His  time  for  three  miles  still 
stands  the  best  on  the  record.  Flora  Temple  and  General 
Butler,  both  horses  of  great  speed  and  bottom,  tried  to  beat 
it,  but  failed ;  and  yet  it  was  not  up  to  the  highest  mark 
that  Dutchman  could  have  made  that  day.  But  of  this  feat 
I  shall  speak  as  it  comes  along  in  the  order  of  his  perform- 
ances, before  entering  on  which  it  will  be  proper  to  give 
some  idea  of  his  appearance.  Dutchman  was  a  bay  gelding, 
fifteen  hands  three  inches  high,  very  powerfully  made,  with 
every  part  clean  cut,  and  the  very  best  of  legs  and  feet. 
He  was  raised  in  New  Jersey;  but  I  never  knew  his 
pedigree,  nor  ever  met  any  one  who  did.  This  is  to  be 
regretted ;  for  he  was  a  horse  of  such  great  stamp  and  high 
courage,  that  it  would  be  interesting  to  know  at  least  a  little 
of  the  sources  from  which  he  sprang.  This,  however,  we 
never  can  know.  I  have  seen  letters  which  purported  to 
give  his  pedigree,  but  have  never  met  with  an  account  which 
at  all  satisfied  me,  or  corresponded  with  that  which  was  said 

142 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  143 

about  the  horse  when  I  first  knew  him.  It  has  been  said 
that  he  was  got  by  a  thoroughbred  imported  horse,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  that  his  ancestry  was  well  bred.  His  form, 
temper,  and  general  characteristics  denoted  a  horse  of  very 
considerable  breeding ;  but  the  definite  accounts  that  I  have 
heard  and  seen  in  regard  to  it  rest  upon  insufficient  authority 
to  satisfy  me.  He  was  not  the  coarse,  ungainly  horse  that 
many  suppose  him  to  have  been.  His  points  were  good, 
though  some  of  them  were  rather  plain,  and  every  thing 
about  him  indicated  a  horse  of  uncommon  resolution  and 
bottom,  with  a  strong  dash  of  temper. 

When  I  first  saw  Dutchman  he  was  five  years  old,  and 
belonged  to  Mr.  Jeffers  of  Philadelphia.  He  worked  in  a 
string-team  in  a  brick-cart,  and  did  his  full  share  of  the 
hauling.  It  was  found  that  the  bay  horse  was  a  good 
stepper,  and  they  began  to  drive  him  on  the  road  to  a  wagon. 
He  could  then  go  a-  little  better  than  a  mile  in  three 
minutes.  Mr.  Jeffers  soon  sold  him  to  Mr.  Peter  Barker 
of  New  York,  and  he  had  him  pricked  and  docked.  The 
operation  was  performed  by  George  Hazard,  and  before 
Dutchman  had  entirely  recovered  from  its  effects  he  was 
engaged  for  his  first  trot.  The  match  was  mile  and  repeat, 
in  harness,  with  a  horse  called  Locomotive,  to  go  on  the 
Harlem  track.  It  was  made  in  a  hurry  one  afternoon,  and 
Dutchman  was  taken  out  of  the  pulleys  the  next  day  to 
trot.  Harry  Jones  drove  him,  and  Albert  Conklin  was 
behind  the  other  horse.  Dutchman  won  this  in  two  heats. 

The  same  year,  later  in  the  fall,  he  trotted  a  match  for 
$1,000  a  side,  from  Cato's  to  Harlem,  along  Third  Avenue. 
The  distance  was  about  four  miles,  and  they  went  to  road- 
wagons.  Mr.  Barker  drove  Dutchman.  The  other,  a  brown 
gelding  called  Yankee  Doodle,  was  driven  by  Mr.  Daniel 
Costar  cf  New  York.  Dutchman  won  easily.  His  speed 
and  bottom  were  now  so  well  thought  of,  that  in  1836  he 
was  entered  in  a  sweepstakes  with  Fanny  Pullen  and  Con- 
fidence. Fanny  Pulleii  was  afterwards  the  dam  of  the 


144  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

chestnut  gelding  Trustee,  by  imported  Trustee,  who  first 
trotted  twenty  miles  within  an  hour  in  harness.  She  was 
herself  a  chestnut,  standing  fifteen  hands  high,  and  was 
raised  in  the  State  of  Maine.  Confidence  was  a  handsome 
bay  gelding,  fifteen  hands  high.  Of  his  pedigree  nothing 
definite  was  known.  He  was  afterwards  purchased  for  Mr. 
Osbaldeston,  the  "  Old  Squire  "  of  English  sporting  history^ 
and  taken  over  to  that  country.  Mr.  Osbaideston  drove 
Confidence  there  many  years,  and  trotted  him  some  races. 
That  gentleman  had  some  of  the  best  racers,  hunters,  and 
steeple-chasers  in  England ;  but,  when  he  wanted  first-class 
trotters,  he  took  good  care  to  send  to  America  for  them. 

The  sweepstakes  race  was  $1,000  each,  two-mile  heats, 
in  harness,  over  the  Centreville  Course.  Joel  Conkling 
drove  Dutchman ;  Harry  Jones,  Fanny  Pullen ;  James  M. 
Hammill  of  Philadelphia,  Confidence.  The  latter  was  a 
Philadelphia  horse  then,  being  owned  by  Daniel  Daniels 
of  that  city.  Daniels  was  called  "  Deaf  Dan  "  at  that  time ; 
and  he  is  the  man  to  whom  Dr.  "VVeldon  alluded  in  his 
famous  letter  vindicating  the  probity  of  turfmen,  and  insist- 
ing upon  the  veracity  of  trainers.  The  betting  ran  very 
high  on  the  race.  The  Eastern  men  backed  Fanny  Pullen 
with  great  spirit.  The  Philadelphians  put  up  strongly  on 
Confidence.  The  New-Yorkers  stuck  to  Dutchman,  and  a 
very  large  amount  of  money  changed  hands.  Dutchman 
won  it  in  two  heats,  and  Fanny  was  second,  the  time  being 
5.17J-  and  5.18  J.  The  first  heat  was  the  fastest  two  miles 
that  had  been  made  in  harness.  Dutchman  was  in  for 
business  now.  Only  a  little  "time  elapsed  before  he  was 
matched  to  go  four-mile  heats  under  saddle  against  Lady 
Slipper. 

It  was  over  the  Centreville  Course ;  and  the  day  was  that  for 
the  great  match  between  the  North  and  the  South,  in  which 
John  Bascomb  ran  against  Postboy,  four-mile  heats,  over 
the  Union  Course.  The  two  races  attracted  immense  num- 
bers of  people,  for  the  courses  were  so  near  together  that 


THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA.  145 

both  events  could  be  witnessed  without  any  trouble.  The 
running-race  came  off  first ;  and,  after  it  was  over,  the  road  to 
the  Centreville  was  as  full  of  carriages  and  wagons  as  it 
could  be.  There  were  many  thousands  of  people  present 
when  the  horses  were  brought  out  on  the  course.  Dutch- 
man was  the  favorite.  He  was  ridden  by  William  Whelan, 
and  won  it  in  two  heats.  Lady  Slipper  was  a  white  mare, 
about  fourteen  hands  three  inches  high.  George  Spicer 
rode  her  that  day.  She  was  afterwards  taken  to  England, 
but  I  do  not  know  what  was  made  of  her  there. 

The  same  year,  in  the  fall,  Dutchman  was  entered  in 
a  sweepstakes  with  Lady  Warrenton,  Teamboat,  and  Nor- 
man Leslie,  three-mile  heats,  under  saddle.  It  came  off 
at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  and  was  five  hundred  dollars  each. 
Lady  Warrenton  was  a  white  mare  from 'Baltimore,  stand 
ing  about  fifteen  hands  high;  and  she  was  a  good  one. 
Teamboat  was  a  chestnut  gelding,  sixteen  hands  high,  and 
so  called  because  he  had  been  employed  in  one  of  the  teams 
that  pull  the  barges  along  the  levels.  Norman  Leslie  was 
a  black  gelding,  fifteen  hands  and  an  inch  high.  Lady 
Warrenton  won  this  race ;  and  it  was  the  first  time  that 
Dutchman  met  with  a  defeat.  In  the  following  week, 
he  was  matched  with  the  Lady,  three-mile  heats,  under 
saddle,  over  the  Hunting-park  Course,  Philadelphia.  In 
this  race,  George  Spicer  rode  Dutchman,  and  beat  the  mare 
in  two  heats.  It  was  a  rainy  day,  and  the  course  was 
heavy.  This  made  little  difference  to  Dutchman,  who  was 
a  strong  horse,  able  to  go  in  heavy  ground,  and  keep  going 
with  the  weights  up.  He  was  also  a  grand  horse  for  all 
sorts  of  weather ;  and,  when  once  in  fine  condition,  would 
stand  as  much  wear  and  tear,  and  keep  going  on,  as  long  as 
any  horse  I  ever  knew,  and  this  when  the  races  were  all  of 
long  heats.  Soon  after  this  race,  Dutchman  fell  lame 
behind,  and  was  turned  out.  He  ran  out  for  sixteen  or 
eighteen  months.  When  he  was  taken  up  to  be  put  in 

work  again,  he  came  to  me  ;  and  this  was  the  beginning  of 
10 


146  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

a  long  and  eventful  connection  between  us.  At  the  first 
of  it  we  did  not  meet  with  success;  but  I  knew,  that,  if  he 
kept  on,  it  would  be  sure  to  come.  He  was  then  ten  years 
old ;  and  his  first  trot  in  my  hands  was  against  Greenwich 
Maid,  a  bay  mare,  fifteen  hands  high. 

The  race  was  two-mile  heats,  in  harness,  over  the  Beacon 
Course,  New  Jersey ;  and  the  mare  won  it  in  two  heats, 
the  best  of  which  was  5m.  16s.  Shortly  afterwards,  Dutch- 
man trotted  two-mile  heats  against  Washington  over  the 
same  course.  Washington  was  a  gray  gelding,  sixteen 
hands  high,  very  speedy,  but  having  the  peculiarity  that  he 
would  go  all  to  pieces  if  not  checked  up  close.  He  also 
beat  Dutchman  in  two  heats ;  and  the  best  of  them  was 
5m.  16s.,  as  Greenwich  Maid's  had  been. 

The  same  year  Dutchman  went  for  a  purse  over  the  Beacon 
Course  against  Lady  Suffolk  and  Rattler,  two-mile  heats, 
under  saddle.  Eattler  was  a  bay  gelding,  fifteen  hands 
high,  a  fast  and  stout  horse,  though  light-waisted,  and  deli- 
cate in  appetite  and  constitution.  At  that  time  he  would 
sometimes  only  eat  six  quarts  of  oats  a  day ;  and  the  trainer 
was  doing  uncommonly  well  when  he  got  nine  quarts  into 
him.  He  was  afterwards  taken  to  England,  and,  take  him 
for  all  in  all,  was  the  best  American  trotter  that  ever  went 
there.  William  Whelan  went  over  with  him,  but  not 
before  we  had  some  desperate  struggles  between  him  and 
Dutchman. 

Lady  Suffolk  was  a  gray  mare  about  fifteen  hands  and  an 
inch.  She  was  got  by  Engineer,  son  of  imported  Messen- 
ger, and  was  certainly  a  tremendous  mare,  well  worthy  of 
her  illustrious  descent.  She  was  bred  on  Long  Island,  in 
Suffolk  County,  and  thus  got  the  name  of  Lady  Suffolk. 
When  she  was  three  years  old,  David  Bryan  bought  her  of 
the  farmer  who  raised  her,  for  ninety  dollars.  In  the  race 
of  which  I  am  now  writing,  Bryan  rode  Lady  Suffolk,  Bill 
Whelan  rode  Rattler,  and  I  rode  Dutchman.  We  won  it 
in  two  heats,  of  5.11-5.13. 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  147 

Shortly  after  this,  a  match  was  made-between  Dutchman 
and  Rattler  to  go  three-mile  heats  under  saddle,  for  two 
thousand  dollars,  on  the  Beacon  Course.  Dutchman  was 
the  favorite,  but  Battler  was  in  fine  condition  that  day ; 
and  a  desperate  struggle  ensued  between  the  horses  and 
their  riders,  William  Whelan  and  myself.  In  the  first 
heat,  we  went  away  together ;  and  at  any  time  in  the  course 
a  sheet  would  have  covered  both  horses.  It  was  very  close 
at  the  finish ;  but  Battler  won  by  half  a  length.  Dutch- 
man made  a  break  in  the  heat,  the  only  one  he  made  in  the 
race ;  and  that  enabled  Battler  to  win  it  in  7m.  45  Js.  The 
second  heat  was  like  the  first.  We  went  away  together; 
and  it  was  hard  to  say  which  had  the  advantage  for  two 
miles  and  a  half. '  Sometimes  one  would  be  a  head  in  front, 
and  then  the  other  would  come  up  and  get  the  lead  by  a 
neck.  But  they  were  never  clear  of  each  other ;  and,  at  the 
drawgate  in  the  third  mile,  it  was '  head-and-head.  But 
Battler  now  broke  (this  was  the  only  break  he  made  in  the 
race),  and  Dutchman  won  the  heat  in  7.50. 

I  have  not  since  seen  such  a  heat  as  that  which  ensued. 
Over  the  whole  distance  of  ground,  three  miles,  it  was  liter- 
ally a  neck-and-neck  struggle.  Nothing  could  have  been 
finer  to  the  spectators  than  the  desperate  and  long-sustained 
efforts  of  these  capital  horses,  aided  by  the  exertions  and 
judgment  of  the  riders.  Neither  horse  was  clear  of  the 
other  at  any  time ;  and,  when  we  had  both  used  our  utmost 
endeavors  to  land  a  winner,  if  only  by  half  a  head,  the 
judges  declared  that  it  was  a  dead  heat  in  8.02.  In  the 
fourth  heat,  the  struggle  was  again  as  close  as  could  be  for 
upwards  of  two  miles ;  but  then  the  unrivalled  bottom  of 
Dutchman  obtained  the  superiority.  At  the  end  of  the 
eleventh  mile,  the  pace  and  distance  began  to  tell  on  Bat- 
tler; and  Dutchman  won  it  handily  in  8.24. 

Just  such  a  race  as  this  it  has  never  been  my  fortune  to 
see  since,  and  nobody  had  seen  such  a  one  before.  For 
eleven  miles  the  horses  were  never  clear  of  each  other  5 


1:48  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

and,  when  Dutchman  left  Eattler  in  the  twelfth,  it  was  by 
inches  only.  Moreover,  there  were  but  two  breaks  in  this 
race,  and  each  horse  made  but  one  in  his  twelve  miles. 
That  was  trotting ;  and,  though  both  the  horses  afterwards 
acquired  more  speed,  they  never  exhibited  more  obstinate 
game  or  more  thorough  bottom  than  in  this  race.  Battler 
was  an  honest,  fast  horse,  with  a  great  deal  of  bottom  in 
his  light,  waspy,  wiry  make.  He  was  a  very  long  strider ; 
and,  when  going  his  best,  it  sometimes  seemed  as  though 
his  thin  waist  would  part  in  the  middle.  That  was  the  last 
time  of  his  trotting  before  he  went  with  Whelan  to  Eng- 
land. In  that  country  he  beat  the  Birmingham  mare  and 
Glasgow  mare,  and  challenged  the  World. 

I  was  within  an  ace  at  one  time  of  going  over  with 
Dutchman  to  take  up  the  challenge,  but  did  not  do  so 
Whelan  says  he  could  have  beaten  me  in  England;  for 
Battler  had  taken  to  hearty  feeding  and  gained  strength, 
and  much  improved  in  speed.  But  the  truth  is,  that  Dutch- 
man had  shown  increased  speed,  too ;  and  I  had  no  doubt 
then,  nor  have  I  had  any  since,  about  his  ability  to  beat 
Battler,  if  he  had  gone  to  England  and  done  well.  I  think, 
too,  that  the  strong  probability  of  this  will  appear  to  the 
reader,  when  we  come  to  review  the  performances,  since 
unequalled  in  spite  of  all  our  improvement  and  latter-day 
advantages,  which  Dutchman  afterwards  made  in  my  hands. 
As  I  have  said  above,  his  three-mile  time  yet  stands  at  the 
head  of  the  record ;  and,  though  it  is  often  said  that  it 
would  be  very  easy  to  beat  it,  I  think  we  may  reasonably 
conclude,  in  view  of  the  failure  of  Flora  Temple  and 
General  Butler  to  do  so,  that  it  is  not  quite  so  easy  as  it 
seems.  Besides,  I  always  remark,  when  this  allegation  is 
made,  that  it  would  have  been  easy  for  Dutchman  to  do  the 
three  miles  faster  than  he  did ;  and  this  I  shall  prove  when 
we  come  to  speak  of  the  time-race.  It  would,  however,  be 
easy  for  Butler  to  beat  it  under  saddle. 


XVL 

Dutchman  and  Lady  Suffolk.  —  Dutchman,  Lady  Suffolk,  Mount  Holly, 
and  Harry  Bluff.  —  Dutchman  and  Awful. — Dutchman  against  Time, 
Three  Miles.  —  The  Race  and  Incidents. 

IN  resuming  the  history  of  Dutchman,  we  begin  again 
at  the  close  of  the  great  race  of  four  three-mile  heats  j  in 
which  he  won  a  hard  and  very  stoutly-contested  struggle 
with  Kattler,  just  prior  to  that  horse's  voyage  to  England, 
where,  as  I  have  "before  remarked,  he  greatly  distinguished 
himself  under  the  care  and  superintendence  ofWm.  Whelan. 
It  was  not  only  found  that  he  was  vastly  superior  to  any 
English-bred  trotter,  but  also  to  those  which  had  been  im- 
ported into  England  from  this  country.  Several  of  these 
had  been  horses  of  fine  speed  and  bottom.  It  was,  however, 
no  more  than  might  have  been  expected,  that  Rattler 
should  excel  them  all ;  for  he  was  very  near  indeed  to 
Dutchman  when  he  left  this  country.  It  was  a  very  close 
thing  between  them;  and  I  have  learned,  that,  after  he 
arrived  in  the  island,  the  air  and  strong  feed  so  agreed  with 
him,  that  he  displayed  more  vigor  and  bottom  than  he  had 
done  while  he  was  in  this  country. 

It  was  now  the  spring  of  1839,  and  Dutchman  had  been 
in.  my  hands  a  year.  We  commenced  the  operations  of  that 
memorable  season  with  a  trot  between  Dutchman  and 
Lady  Suffolk,  over  the  Beacon  Course,  New  Jersey,  two- 
mile  heats,  under  saddle.  As  a  matter  of  course,  I  rode  the 
old  bay  horse,  and  David  Bryan  rode  the  gray  Lady  of 
Suffolk.  Dutchman  won  it  handily  in  two  heats  of  5m.  9s., 
5m.  11s.  That  was  the  beginning  of  the  season,  and  early 

149 


50  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

for  a  beginning  at  that.  In  the  month  of  May  we  went  to 
Baltimore,  to  trot  three-mile  heats,  under  saddle,  with  three 
other  horses.  There  was  Lady  Suffolk,  who  was  now 
developed  into  a  regular  campaigner,  and  was  a  wonderful 
mare ;  Mount  Holly,  a  white  gelding,  fifteen  hands  high  — 
how  related  to  the  Messenger  horse  of  that  name,  who  is 
among  the  forefathers  of  the  Black  gelding  General  Butler, 
I  am  unable  to  say;  and  Harry  Bluff,  a  bay  gelding, 
fifteen  hands  three  inches  high.  Dutchman  won  the  race 
in  two  heats  of  7m.  56s.,  7m.  53s. 

On  our  return  home  from  Baltimore,  we  had  a  meeting 
with  Awful,  the  bay  gelding  before  spoken  of  as  having 
been  matched  with  Lady  Blanche,  the  daughter  of  Abdallah, 
when  six  years  old,  and  paid  forfeit  to  her  in  consequence 
of  lameness ;  and,  as  having  afterwards  defeated  Screwdriver, 
three-mile  heats,  in  harness,  over  the  Centreville  Course. 
The  race  between  Dutchman  and  Awful  was  on  the  4th  of 
July,  and  was  three-mile  heats,  in  harness.  Dutchman  won 
it,  distancing  Awful  in  the  first  heat,  in  the  then  amazing 
time  of  7m.  41s.  At  the  start  for  this  race,  the  odds  were 
100  to  25  on  Awful ;  and  the  result,  with  the  time  in  which 
it  was  achieved,  caused  a  large  amount  of  wonder  and  dis- 
cussion. -  This  three  miles  in  harness  was  then  the  greatest 
performance "  that  had  ever  been  made;  and  it  will  be 
found,  upon  investigation,  that  it  has  very  seldom  been  sur- 
passed since  that  date,  almost  twenty-six  years  ago.  Flora 
Temple  was  the  first  that  ever  beat  it ;  and,  if  I  am  not 
mistaken,  the  only  others  that  have  done  so  are  General 
Butler ; — when  he  went  in  harness  against  Dutchman's 
saddle-time  —  and  -  Stonewall  Jackson  of  Hartford,  in  his 
three-mile  race  in  1866  on  the  Fashion  Course  against 
Shark. 

It  will  be  remembered,  in  estimating  the  merit  and  value 
of  this  performance,  that  since  it  was  made,  above  a  quarter 
of  a  century  has  passed  away,  of  an  age  renowned  above  all 
preceding  ones  in  history  for  progress ;  that  all  the  efforts 


THE   TEOTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  151 

of  breeders,  breakers,  trainers,  and  drivers  have  been 
directed  to  improve  the  speed  of  our  trotting-horse  to  the 
highest  rate  attainable,  consistent  with  the  faculty  of  en- 
durance ;  that  neither  pains  nor  perseverance  have  been 
spared  to  perfect  our  modern  courses  ;  and  that  all  the  skill 
and  ingenuity  of  an  intelligent  class  of  our  mechanics  have 
been  successfully  applied  to  the  production  of  the  best 
and  lightest  vehicles  for  trotting  purposes.  The  sulky  in 
which  Dutchman  trotted  on  that  day  weighed  821bs.  I  have 
now  two  that  weigh  less  than  GOlbs.  each.  My  weight  in 
driving  was  from  1481bs.  to  ISOlbs.  Dutchman  took  the  lead 
at  starting,  and  kept  it  all  the  way.  The  time  of  the  first 
mile  was  2m.  34s. ;  the  second  was  trotted  in  2m.  33s. ; 
and,  in  the  third,  we  returned  to  the  rate  of  the  first,  2m. 
34s.  By  considering  this,  we  shall  perceive  the  even  rate 
and  great  durability  of  this  renowned  horse.  He  put  the 
miles  closer  together  than  any  horse  had  ever  done  prior  to 
that  race,  and  finished  the  three  miles  in  less  aggregate 
time,  taking  the  whip  nearly  all  the  way  and  never  making 
a  break.  I  ventured  to  keep  him  going  from  the  score,  and 
to  put  the  whip  on  from  time  to  time ;  and  for  this  I  had 
warrant  in  three  things :  I  knew  he  was  honest,  and  would 
answer  every  call  to  the  last  gasp  ;  I  knew  that  he  was  as 
stout  as  oak  and  as  tough  as  whalebone,  and  needed  no 
saving ;  and  I  knew  that  he  was  in  good  condition.  When- 
ever the  reader  has  got  hold  of  a  horse  in  whom  these  good 
qualities  are  united,  and  who  is  to  trot  a  long  race  against 
another,  supposed  to  be  his  superior  in  point  of  speed,  he 
need  not  be  afraid  to  burst  him  off  and  keep  going.  But  he 
had  better  be  quite  sure  that  they  are  all  there ;  because,  if 
it  should  turn  out  that  any  of  them  is  lacking,  it  would 
probably  endanger  the  race. 

It  is  a  matter  of  course  that  7m.  41s.  in  harness  would 
not  be  a  great  performance  at  this  time ;  and  it  is  very 
likely  that  a  horse  or  two  could  be  found  able  to  trot  three 
miles  in  harness  in  7m.  31s.,  when  thoroughly  fit  and 


152  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  . 

properly  driven.  But  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
conditions  then  existing  were  very  different  from  those  we 
find  in  operation  now.  All  these  improvements  and  altera- 
tions to  which  I  have  alluded  ahove  have  heen  in  favor  of 
the  horses  of  the  present  day  j  and  therefore  the  champions 
of  old  times  are  entitled  to  much  allowance  in  forming  an 
estimate  of  the  comparative  greatness  of  their  perform- 
ances. 

A  match  was  now  made  between  Dutchman  and  Awful, 
to  trot  over  the  Beacon  Course  for  $1,000  a  side,  mile-heats, 
three  in  five,  in  harness.  It  took  place  on  the  18th  of  July. 
Dutchman  was  the  favorite  for  this,  and  won  it  handily  in 
three  heats,  of  2m.  35s.,  2m.  -32s.,  2m.  35s.  That  same 
evening  the  match  against  time  was  made  which  has,  ever 
since  its  performance,  been  one  of  the  most  famous  events 
in  the  annals  of  our  turf.  Mr.  John  Harrison  backed 
Dutchman  to  trot  three  miles  under  saddle  over  the  Beacon 
Course,  on  the  1st  of  August,  for  $1,000  a  side.  Mr.  Isaac 
Anderson  backed  time.  The  horse  was  to  have  two  trials, 
if  necessary,  and  was  to  be  allowed  an  hour  between  them. 
The  time  set  was  7m.  39s.  If  Dutchman  made  the  three 
miles  in  that,  or  in  less  time,  he  won  the  match.  He  had 
gone  in  7m.  41s.  in  harness,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  and 
therefore  it  was  a  good  match  for  the  backers  of  the  horse. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  the  only  question  was  whether  Dutch- 
man would  be  fit  and  well  on  the  day.  If  he  was  he  could 
not  lose  it.  At  the  time  it  was  made,  the  horse,  as  I  have 
said  in  speaking  of  his  Fourth-of-July  trot,  was  in  condi- 
tion. He  was  well  seasoned ;  and,  between  the  making  of 
the  match  on  the  18th  of  July  and  the  1st  of  August  when 
it  was  trotted,  he  had  just  his  usual  work.  Prior  to  this 
time,  Dutchman  had  been  purchased  of  Minturn,  Conklin, 
Vooris,  &  Co.,  for  $3,000,  by  James  Hammil  of  Philadel- 
phia. He  was  bought  by  Hammil  for  Gen.  Cadwallader, 
heretofore  spoken  of  as  one  of  the  most  liberal  turfmen 
of  that  day. 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  15£ 

The  1st  of  August  came  j  the  ardent  summer  sun  rising 
bright  and  clear,  and  assuming  his  reign  over  a  very  warm 
day.  We  let  him  sink  towards  his  haven  in  the  golden 
west  before  we  prepared  for  the  race.  The  course  was  fine, 
a  large  concourse  of  people  were  in  attendance,  and  the 
odds  were  two  to  one  on  Dutchman  when  we  brought  him 
out  and  stripped  him.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  he 
was  saddled ;  and  I  mounted,  feeling  fully  confident  that 
the  feat  set  would  be  done  with  much  ease.  We  were 
allowed  a  running-horse  to  keep  company ;  and  I  had  a  nice 
blood-like  mare,  she  being  under  my  brother  Isaac. 

We  went  off  at  a  moderate  jog,  gradually  increasing  the 
pace,  but  conversing  part  of  the  way  at  our  ease.  Isaac 
asked  me  how  fast  I  thought  I  could  go  the  mile ;  to  which 
I  replied,  "  About  two  minutes,  thirty-five."  It  was  accom- 
plished in  2m.  34£s.,  and  Dutchman  never  was  really  ex- 
tended. Now  occurred  a  circumstance  which  must  be 
related,  because  it  was  curious  in  itself,  and  had  its  effect 
on  the  time.  Mr.  Harrison,  the  backer  of  Dutchman,  had 
lent  his  watch  to  a  friend,  and  was  not  keeping  time  of  the 
horses  himself  as  they  went  round.  As  we  came  by  the 
stand,  some  bystander,  who  had  made  a  mistake  in  timing, 
told  him  that  the  time  of  the  mile  was  2.38,  which  was  a 
losing  average.  He  therefore  called  out  to  me  as  I  passed 
him,  to  go  along ;  and  go  along  I  did.  Dutchman  struck  a 
great  pace  on  the  back-stretch,  and  had  established  such  a 
fine  stroke  that  the  running-mare  was  no  longer  able  to  live 
with  him.  My  brother  Isaac  got  alarmed,  and  sung  out  to 
me  that  I  was  going  too  fast.  I  replied  that  I  had  been  told 
to  go  along.  It  was  not  my  conviction  that  the  horse  was 
going  too  fast  even  then ;  for  if  ever  there  was  one  that  I  could 
feel  of,  and  that  felt  all  over  strong  and  capable  of  main- 
taining the  rate,  Dutchman  did  then.  Nevertheless,  I  took 
a  pull  for  Isaac,  and  allowed  him  to  come  up  and  keep 
company  for  the  balance  of  the  mile.  It  was  performed  in 
2.28  very  handily. 


154  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

The  third  mile  we  kept  the  same  relative  positions ; 
Dutchman  being  under  a  good  pull  all  the  way,  and  able  to 
have  left  the  running-mare  had  he  been  called  upon  so  to 
do.  The  rate  was  now  very  even ;  and  it  was  maintained 
until  we  were  within  about  two  hundred  yards  of  the  stand, 
when  I  was  notified  to  check  up,  and  come  home  at  a  more 
moderate  gait.  I  therefore  crossed  the  score  at  a  jog-trot, 
and  Dutchman  was  at  a  walk  within  fifteen  yards  of  it. 
The  last  mile  was  2.30,  the  whole  being  7.32|.  Great  as 
this  performance  was  thought  at  the  time,  long  as  it  has 
since  stood  unequalled,  and  great  and  deserved  as  has  been, 
and  is,  the  fame  of  those  who  have  endeavored  to  surpass 
it,  I  declare  that  it  was  not  by  any  means  all  that  Dutch- 
man could  have  done  that  day.  I  am  positive,  that,  if  he 
had  been  called  upon  to  do  so,  he  could  have  trotted  the 
three  miles  in  7.27,  or  letter.  This  is  no  light  opinion  of 
mine,  taken  up  years  afterwards  on  inadequate  grounds,  and 
when  those  who  might  be  opposed  to  it  had  gone  from 
among  us :  it  was  the  judgment  of  those  who  saw  him  in 
the  feat,  observed  him  all  through,  and  noticed  how  he  fin- 
ished. He  as  much  surpassed  any  thing  that  the  public  had 
expected  of  him  as  could  well  be  conceived ;  and  yet  the 
three-mile  heat  in  harness  in  which  he  distanced  Awful  was 
warrant  to  look  out  for  something  great.  It  has  always 
been  my  conviction,  and  will  remain  so  to  my  dying  day, 
that  Dutchman  could  have  done  the  last  mile  handily  in 
two  minutes  and  twenty-six  seconds  ;  and  I  even  hold  to  the 
opinion  that  he  could  have  done  it  in  2.25.  The  people 
who  witnessed  the  race  thought  so  too. 

As  for  the  second  mile,  which  he  made  in  2.28,  it  was 
one  of  the  easiest  I  ever  rode  in  my  life.  In  the  great 
burst  of  speed  he  made  when  Harrison  called  to  me  to  go 
along,  and  Dutchman  went  away  from  the  running-mare, 
the  horse  was  strong,  collected,  and  his  long,  quick  stroke 
very  even.  At  all  other  times  in  the  race  he  seemed 
to  be  going  well  within  himself;  and,  in  setting  down  his 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF' AMERICA.  155 

mark  that  day  at  seven  minutes  twenty-seven  seconds, 
I  am  confident  that  I  allow  him  quite  time  enough.  The 
truth  is,  that  he  was  a  most  extraordinary  horse.  There 
have  been  many  trotters  that  could  go  as  fast  for  a  little 
way ;  but  the  beauty  of  Dutchman  was,  that  he  could  go 
fast  and  go  all  day.  To  beat  the  time  he  actually  made 
would  be  easy  enough  to  a  fast  horse  of  good  bottom ;  but 
to  beat  the  mark  I  have  set  as  that  of  which  he  was  capa- 
ble, and  I  know  I  am  inside  the  truth,  would  not  be  so 
easy.  It  is,  however,  never  to  be  lost  sight  of,  that  the 
tendency  of  things  ever  since  Dutchman's  day  has  been 
towards  increased  speed.  There  has  been  a  general  set  of 
the  current  in  that  direction ;  and  horses  that  are  compara- 
tively at  a  stand-still  as  regards  other  horses  of  their  own 
day  have,  nevertheless,  advanced  in  regard  to  time  and  the 
dead. 


XVII. 

Dutchman  and  Washington.  —  Dutchman,  Washington,  and  the  Ice  Pony.  — 
Washington's  best  Mark.  —Dutchman  and  Rifle.  —  Dutchman,  Ameri- 
cus,  and  Lady  Suffolk.  —  A  Great  Race  in  a  Great  Storm.  —  Dutchman, 
Oneida  Chief,  and  Lady  Suffolk.  —  Dutchman's  Last  Bace.  —  His 
Death. 

SHORTLY  after  Dutchman's  great  time  race,  he  left  my 
stable,  and  was  taken  to  Philadelphia  by  James  Ham- 
mil,  who,  as  before  mentioned,  had  purchased  him  for  Gen. 
Cadwallader.  In  the  spring  of  1840  he  returned  to  New  York 
in  charge  of  Hammil,  and  was  matched  against  Lady  Suffolk 
to  trot  over  the  Centreville  Course,  two-mile  heats  under 
saddle.  Hammil  rode  Dutchman,  and  Bryant  the  Lady  of 
Suffolk.  She  beat  Dutchman  the  first  heat  in  4m.  59s.,  and  I 
then  mounted  for  the  second.  She  beat  him  again,  the  time 
being  5m.  3s.  I  could  not  quife  satisfactorily  account  for 
his  being  beaten  in  that  time,  after  what  I  knew  he  could 
do  when  all  right.  Whether  he  was  short  of  work,  I  can- 
not precisely  determine,  as  he  was  not  in  my  hands,  and  I 
had  not  seen  him  in  the  course  of  his  training  that  year ; 
but  he  did  not  appear  to  be  as  stout  and  as  willing  as  I  had 
found  him  the  previous  season,  and  afterwards  found  him 
again. 

That  same  summer  he  trotted  with  Washington  over  the 
Centreville  Course,  two-mile  heats  in  harness.  Washington 
was  then  in  my  stable  ;  and  with  him  I  beat  Dutchman  in 
two  straight  heats,  the  best  being  5m.  16s.  From  thence 
w£  went  to  Philadelphia,  and  trotted  over  the  Hunting-park 

156 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  157 

Course  for  a  purse,  two-mile  heats  in  harness.  Washington 
beat  Dutchman  again  in  two  heats,  the  best  of  which  was 
again  5m.  16s.  In  the  first  heat,  Hammil  drove  him ;  in 
the  second,  George  Spicer  got  in.  Our  next  meeting  was 
on  the  Herring-run  Course  at  Baltimore,  where  I  trotted 
Washington  against  Dutchman  and  Ice  Pony  two-mile  heats 
in  harness.  The  Pony  was  a  brown  gelding,  fourteen  hands 
three  inches  high,  and  a  fine,  gallant-going  little  horse.  He 
had  not  what  I  consider  great  staying  qualities  ;  but  he  had 
the  gift  of  speed  in  a  high  degree.  He  got  the  name  he 
bore  from  having  trotted  on  the  ice  in  Maine,  from  whence 
he  came.  Col.  C.  Bartine  drove  the  Pony,  Hammil  drove 
Dutchman,  and  I  drove  Washington.  The  latter  won  it 
in  two  straight  heats,  and  the  best  of  them  this  time  was 
5m.  16£s.  The  pony  led  for  a  mile  and  a  half;  but  I  judged 
that  he  would  be  sure  to  "  come  back  "  to  us  before  he  had 
got  twice  round,  and  so  kept  my  weather-eye  on  Dutchman. 
I  must  mention  here,  that,  prior  to  this  trip  South,  I  trotted 
Washington  against  Dutchman  two-mile  heats  in  harness 
over  the  Beacon  Course,  and  won  in  two  heats,  the  best  of 
them  being  5m.  16s. 

It  is  rather  a  curious  circumstance,  that,  when  Washington 
was  all  right  he  could  trot  two  miles  in  harness  in  just  five 
minutes  and  sixteen  seconds ;  and,  if  called  upon  for  better 
time,  he  could  not  make  it.  That  was  his  best  mark ;  but,  if 
in  condition,  he  could  be  relied  upon  to  do  it  with  certainty. 
After  our  return  from  Baltimore,  we  trotted  two-mile  heats 
in  harness  over  the  Beacon  Course,  New  Jersey,  and  Dutch- 
man won  it  in  three  heats.  Washington  got  the  first  in  5m. 
16s.  again.  Dutchman  got  the  second  and  third.  Dutchman 
now  returned  to  Philadelphia,  and  met  Bifle  in  two  races  on 
the  Hunting-park  Course,  mile-heats,  three  in  five,  one  in 
harness,  the  other  under  saddle.  Rifle. was  a  handsome 
little  bay  horse,  fifteen  hands  high.  He  and  Lady  Suffolk 
performed  the  first  great  feat  in  double  harness,  distan- 
cing Mr.  Frank  Duffy's  bay-team,  Apology  and  Hardware, 


158  THE   TROTTING-HORSE   OF  AMERICA. 

in  5ni.  19s.  The  first  mile  was  2m.  42s.,  the  second  2m. 
37s. 

At  that  time  this  was  considered  a  very  great  perform- 
ance, and  it  was  so.  We  had  not  then  the  number  of  opu- 
lent gentlemen  trying  to  get  fast  horses  for  double  harness 
that  we  have  now.  Mr.  Bonner's  mares,  Flatbush  Maid  and 
Lady  Palmer,  have  gone  the  distance  over  the  Fashion 
Course,  driven  by  himself  to  his  light  road-wagon,  in  5.01J, 
—  an  astonishing  thing.  But  it  is  to  be  remembered  that 
Suffolk  and  Rifle  made  their  performance  more  than  twenty 
years  ago,  and  that  time,  in  all  ways  of  going,  has  been 
greatly  reduced  since  then. 

The  Lady  and  Bifle  were  driven  by  James  Whelpley. 
The  first  race  between  Dutchman  and  Bine  was  in  harness. 
I  drove  Dutchman,  and  Whelpley  Kifle ;  and  I  won  in  three 
heats.  In  the  saddle-race,  he  beat  me  the  first  heat  in  2.34. 
James  Hammil  then  got  on  Dutchman,  won  the  second  heat 
in  2.38,  and  got  the  third  and  fourth  handily. 

In  1843  Dutchman  was  brought  to  New  York  again,  and 
placed  in  my  charge.  Our  first  race  that  season,  and  it  was 
the  last  season  that  the  old  horse  trotted  on  the  turf,  was 
against  Americus  and  Lady  Suffolk,  two-mile  heats  in  har- 
ness, over  the  Beacon  Course.  Bryant  drove  the  Lady, 
Spicer  Americus,  and  I  Dutchman.  Dutchman  won  the 
first  heat,  Americus  the  second,  and  Dutchman  the  third. 
Lady  Suffolk  was  third  in  all  the  heats.  In  a  week  or  ten 
days  thereafter,  we  went  three-mile  heats  in  harness,  over 
the  Beacon  Course,  and  it  was  a  tremendous  race  of  four 
heats.  The  first  was  won  by  Dutchman.  The  second  was 
stoutly  contested,  but  Americus  won  it.  The  third  heat 
was  very  hotly  contested,  and  resulted  in  a  dead  heat  be- 
tween the  old  horse  and  Americus.  Lady  Suffolk  was  now 
ruled  out  for  not  .winning  a  heat  in  three,  and  the  betting 
was  heavy,  Dutchman  having  the  call. 

The  long  summer  day  had  drawn  rapidly  to  a  close.  At 
the  same  time  the  heavens  were  overcast ;  and  with  fading 


THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA  150 

gleams  of  dim,  yellow  light,  the  sun  sank  into  great  banks 
of  clouds.  They  mounted  higher  and  higher,  and  seemed 
to  lie  like  a  load  upon  the  weary  earth.  The  heat  was 
intense ;  and  not  a  breath  of  air  was  stirring  to  break  the 
ominous  repose.  With  the  last  flicker  of  day,  the  swift 
scud  began  to  fly  overhead,  and  the  solid-seeming  clouds  to 
tower  up  and  come  on  like  moving  mountains.  It  was  dark 
when  we  got  into  our  sulkies ;  and,  soon  after  the  start,  the 
storm  burst  upon  us  with  a  fury  that  I  have  never  since 
seen  equalled.  The  wind  blew  a  hurricane,  and  the  pelting 
rain  fell  in  torrents,  as  though  the  sluices  of  the  skies  had 
opened  all  at  once.  Nothing  could  have  overpowered  the 
mighty  rush  of  the  wind  and  the  furious  splash  of  the  rain 
but  the  dread,  tremendous  rattle  of  the  thunder.  It  seemed 
to  be  discharged  right  over  our  heads,  and  only  a  few  yards 
above  us.  Nothing  could  have  penetrated  the  thick,  pro- 
found gloom  of  that  darkness  but  the  painful  blue  blaze 
of  the  forked  lightning.  I  could  not  see,  in  the  short  inter- 
vals between  the  flashes,  the  faintest  trace  of  the  horse 
before  me ;  and  then,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  as  though 
the  darkness  was  torn  away  like  a  veil  by  the  hand  of  the 
Almighty,  the  whole  course,  the  surrounding  country,  to 
the  minutest  and  most  distant  thing,  would  be  revealed. 
The  spires  of  the  churches  and  houses  of  Newark,  eight 
miles  off,  we  could  see  more  plainly  than  in  broad  daylight ; 
and  we  noticed,  that,  as  the  horses  faced  the  howling 
elements,  their  ears  lay  back  flat  upon  their  necks.  Be- 
tween these  flashes  of  piercing,  all-pervading  light  and  the 
succeeding  claps  of  thunder,  the  suspense  and  strain  upon 
the  mind  was  terrible.  We 'knew  that  it  was  coming  so  as 
to  shake  the  very  pillars  of  the  earth  we  rode  on;  and, 
until  it  had  rattled  over  our  heads,  we  were  silent.  Then, 
in  the  blank  darkness,  as  we  went  on  side  by  side,  we  would 
exchange  cautions.  Neither  could  see  the  other,  nor  hear 
the  wheels  nor  the  stride  of  the  horses,  by  reason  of  the 
wind  and  rain. 


160  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

"  Look  out,  Hiram,"  Spicer  would  say,  "  or  we  shall  be 
into  each  other." 

A  few  strides  farther  on,  and  I  would  sing  out,  "  Take 
care,  George  :  you  must  be  close  to  me." 

Now,  the  noise  of  the  wheels  and  the  tramp  of  the 
horses  could  not  be  heard  in  the  roar  of  the  wind  and  the 
patter  of  the  rain,  and  yet  our  voices  could  be  and  were. 
For  a  mile  and  a  half,  in  the  very  centre,  as  it  were,  of  this 
Titanic  war  of  the  skyey  elements,  we  went  side  by  side. 
Then  Dutchman  lost  ground.  The  track  was  clayey,  and 
he,  having  on  flat  shoes,  began  to  slip  and  slide  at  every 
stride.  Americus  gradually  drew  away  from  him ;  and, 
when  I  reached  the  stand  at  the  end  of  the  second  mile,  I 
stopped.  I  have  seen  a  great  many  summer  storms  in  my 
time,  and  have  been  out  in  not  a  few  of  them ;  but,  of  all 
that  I  remember,  none  quite  equalled,  in  terrific  fury  and 
awful  grandeur,  that  which  burst  over  the  Beacon  Course 
just  as  we  began  that  heat.  Spicer  says  the  same. 

After  this  great  race  upon  the  Beacon  Course,  I  took  the 
old  horse  to  Baltimore,  and  trotted  him  three-mile  heats 
over  the  Kendall  Course,  against  the  pacer  Oneida  Chief 
and  Lady  Suffolk.  To  the  best  of  my  knowledge,  that  was 
the  last  appearance  of  Dutchman  upon  a  race-course,  and 
he  was  then  fifteen  years  old.  The  pacer  beat  us  handily 
that  day,  and  Lady  Suffolk  was  second.  Dutchman  was 
then  sold  to  Mr.  George  Janeway  of  New  York,  who  after- 
wards purchased  Eifle,  and  drove  them  together  in  double 
harness  as  his  private  team. 

In  1846,  after  Mr.  Janeway  had  owned  him  and  used 
him  on  the  road  about  three  years,  Dutchman  had  another 
trot  in  public,  going  with  Rifle  in  double  harness  against  a 
team  from  Brooklyn.  It  was  the  length  of  the  road  from 
the  New- York  pavement  at  Twenty-eighth  Street,  to  Brad- 
shaw's  at  Harlem,  to  carry  two  men  in  each  wagon.  I 
drove  the  old  stavers,  Dutchman  and  Kifle ;  and  we  won  it 
easily,  beating  them  some  three  hundred  yards.  So  these 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  161 

two  veterans  of  the  turf  and  old  opponents  made  their  last 
race  upon  the  road,  and  in  firm  alliance  ;  and,  vanquishing 
their  opponents  easily,  'the  golden  rays  of  victory  lighted 
up  the  sunset  of  their  declining  day. 

In  the  following  year,  Dutchman  died  in  Mr.  Janeway's 
stahle.  I  was  sent  for  the  night  before  he  expired,  and,  on 
my  arrival,  found  him  down,  and  paralyzed  in  his  hind- 
quarters from  an  injury  to  his  spine  caused  by  his  struggles 
when  cast  in  his  stall.  It  was  a  touching  and  deplorable 
sight  to  see  the  fine  old  horse,  game  to  the  last,  struggling 
with  his  fore-legs  and  raising  his  head,  unconquered  still, 
but  totally  helpless  in  his  hind-quarters.  At  times,  he 
would  bend  his  neck  and  look  round  at  his  haunches,  as 
though  to  discover  why  there  was  no  longer  power  in  the 
hips,  thighs,  and  stifles  that  had  sent  him  along  so  many 
years  and  never  tired.  I  saw  that  all  feeling  in  the  parts 
was  gone,  and  that  hope  of  his  recovery  had  gone  with  it. 
There  was  talk  about  cramp  ;  but  I  knew  that  it  was  cramp 
of  the  "  silver  cord,"  and  that  Dutchman  would  never  rise 
upon  his  legs  again.  He  died  the  next  morning  j  and  then 
departed  one  of  the  best  trotters,  take  him  for  all  in  all, 
that  I  have  known. 

It  is  rather  to  be  regretted  that  something  definite  could 
not  have  been  ascertained  in  regard  to  the  pedigree  of 
Dutchman.  He  was  so  fast,  so  stout,  so  sound,  and  so 
determined,  that  a  knowledge  of  the  sources  from  which  he 
sprang  would  have  been  valuable  as  well  as  interesting. 
Since  I  commenced  this  work,  I  have  been  shown  a  letter 
from  a  young  man  whose  father  knew  where  Dutchman  was 
bred,  and  remembered  him  as  a  colt.  According  to  this 
authority,  which  is  vague  and  uncertain,  Dutchman  was 
got  by  an  imported  thoroughbred  horse  out  of  a  common 
country  mare.  The  imported  horse  had  been  landed  in 
Virginia,  and  had  found  his  way  into  the  south-west  part 
of  Pennsylvania.  This  was  what  the  father  of  the  writer 

of  the  letter  always  heard  and  believed,  and  told  to  his  son. 
ll 


162  TEE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

It  is,  as  I  have  said  above,  too  vague  and  unsubstantial  to 
build  upon;  but  from  Dutchman's  form,  character,  and 
peculiarities,  this  was  the  sort  of  parentage  that  many 
would  have  been  inclined  to  ascribe  to  him.  He  was  not  a 
coarse  horse,  though  bony  and  strong ;  and  there  was  the 
appearance  of  a  deal  of  breeding  in  his  head  and  neck  and 
his  carriage,  especially  when  going  at  a  good  rate.  His 
temper  and  endurance  also  indicated  that  he  had  good  blood 
in  him ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  whatever  of  that  fact.  But 
there  is  no  means  that  I  know  of  tracing  the  source  of  it 
at  this  time ;  and,  though  the  account  in  the  letter  alluded 
to  may  be  true,  it  does  not  appear  to  be  entitled  to  be 
regarded  as  more  than  probable. 


XVIII. 


Other  Performances  of  Dutchman.  —  Application  of  facts  to  Principles.— 
Dutchman's  steady  Improvement.  —  Endurance  of  Trotters  and  Run« 
ning-Horses  compared. 


I  FIND,  on  referring  to  some  old  documents,  that  I  have 
omitted  three  races  in  the  career  of  Dutchman  ;  and 
these  I  now  propose  to  add  to  his  history.  It  would  not 
much  matter  if  I  let  it  go  as  it  was  ;  for  I  am  not  pretending 
to  write  a  complete  register  of  the  races  in  which  the 
horses  I  refer  to  were  engaged,  hut  merely  give  my  recol- 
lections of  the  events  prominent  in  my  memory,  and,  for 
that  reason,  most  likely  to  be  interesting  and  useful  to  the 
general  reader.  But  the  memory  once  aroused,  the  chain 
becomes  more  complete,  link  by  link  ;  and,  as  I  peruse  the 
result  of  my  labors  on  the  printed  page,  it  often  occurs  to 
me,  that  something  has  escaped  me  which  I  can  supply. 
Thus  it  came  into  my  head,  that,  besides  the  races  between 
Dutchman  and  Battler  of  which  I  have  spoken,  there  was 
another  ;  and  going  over  the  piles  of  papers  and  odd  matters 
in  my  possession,  respecting  the  events  of  many  bygone 
years,  I  find  that  Dutchman  and  Rattler  trotted  three-mile 
heats  under  saddle  on  the  Beacon  Course,  New  Jersey,  in 
October,  1838.  It  was  for  a  purse  of  $300,  free  for  all. 
Battler  was  distanced  in  the  first  heat  in  8m.  Ols. 
Dutchman  was  the  favorite  at  the  start  at  2  to  1,  his  con- 
dition being  superior  to  that  of  Battler.  Besides  that,  the 
course  was  heavy,  which  suited  Dutchman  better  than  it 
did  Battler.  Before  the  trot  came  off,  Dutchman  was  put 
up  at  auction  with  his  traps  —  a  sulky,  blankets,  harness, 

163 


164  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

etc.  He  was  knocked  down  to  me  at  $1,500.  I  bought 
him  in  under  instructions  from  his  owners,  Minturn  &  Co., 
not  to  let  him  go  for  less  than  a  price  they  named  in  con- 
fidence. 

In  July  of  the  following  year  Dutchman  was  matched 
against  Awful,  three-mile  heats  in  harness,  on  the  Beacon 
Course.  We  staked  $5,000  for  Dutchman  against  $2,500 
on  the  part  of  Awful.  There  was  a  very  large  attendance, 
many  people  having  corne  on  from  Philadelphia,  Baltimore, 
Boston,  and  Providence.  Dutchman  was  the  favorite  at  100 
to  40.  The  strangers  took  the  odds  largely:  otherwise 
there  would  have  been  but  little  betting,  for  the  New- York 
public  had  a  very  high  opinion  of  Dutchman.  At  the  start 
in  the  first  heat,  Awful  took  the  lead,  and  kept  a  length 
ahead  for  half  a  mile.  At  the  end  of  the  first  mile,  which 
was  done  in  2.34,  he  was  leading  half  a  length.  The 
second  mile  was  2.35,  and  Dutchman  had  established  a 
good  lead  at  the  end  of  it.  I  pulled  him  all  the  way  in  the 
third  mile ;  and  he  won  the  heat  as  he  pleased,  making  that 
mile  in  3.09,  the  heat  in  8.18.  The  second  was  a  better 
heat.  The  first  mile  2.47,  and  the  others  2.36  each,  making 
the  heat  in  7.59.  Still,  it  was  quite  an  easy  thing  for 
Dutchman.  On  the  7th  of  May,  1840,  Dutchman  walked 
over  for  a  purse  of  $200,  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  at 
the  Hunting-park  Course,  Philadelphia.  This  was  while 
he  was  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Hammil,  and  before  he  brought 
him  back  to  New  York. 

I  now  propose  to  examine  how  far  the  career  of  Dutch- 
man on  the  turf  goes  to  support  the  principles  I  ventured 
to  lay  down  in  the  early  part  of  this  work,  when  speaking 
of  the  treatment  and  usage  I  deemed  most  proper  for  trot- 
ting-colts  and  young  trotting-horses.  It  should  be  the  aim 
of  the  breeder  and  trainer  to  produce  just  such  horses, 
except  in  one  particular,  which  is  that  of  temper.  Dutch- 
man was  a  little  too  rough  in  the  stable,  and,  if  not  closely 
watched,  was  apt  to  take  the  jacket  off  a.  man's  back  at  a 


THE  TROTTING-IIOESE  OF  AMERICA.   .          165 

mouthful.  Otherwise,  he  was  all  that  any  one  could  wish 
for.  He  was  very  fast ;  he  was  one  of  the  stoutest  horses 
that  ever  was  called  upon  to  go  long  heats,  and  repeat  them 
until  the  day  was  done  ;  he  had  one  of  the  best  constitu- 
tions that  ever  came  under  my  observation ;  and  he  kept  on 
improving  until  he  was  ten  or  eleven  years  old,  in  spite  of 
the  many  hard  races  at  long  distances  in  which  he  was 
engaged.  He  still  remains  the  champion  three-miler; 
though  I  am  confident  I  should  have  beaten  his  time  with 
Dexter  in  his  late  race  against  Stonewall  Jackson  of  Hart- 
ford, if  we  had  had  a  fair  day  and  good  track.  In  fact, 
although  Dutchman's  time  has  stood  so  long  at  the  head  of 
the  column,  and  is  pretty  hard  to  beat  even  in  these  fast 
days,  it  will  not  do  to  let  it  become  a  superstition  with  us. 
We  should  take  a  lesson  from  what  occurred  in  respect  to 
Fashion's  running  four-mile  time  on  the  Island ;  which  was 
long  deemed  invincible  by  gentlemen  of  the  old  school 
hereabout,  until  one  fine  day,  not  very  long  ago,  Capt. 
Moore's  mare  Idlewild  and  John  M.  Clay's  colt  Jerome 
Edgar  met  in  a  four-mile  race  on  the  Centreville  Course, 
and  both  of  them  beat  Fashion's  time  all  to  pieces. 

As  I  have  said  before,  Dutchman  did  not  do  his  best 
when  he  made  his  7m.  32s.  He  never  was  fully  extended 
but  once  in  the  race,  and  almost  walked  in ;  I  having  pulled 
him  to  a  mere  jog-trot  two  hundred  yards  from  the  stand. 
I  put  down  his  mark  that  day  at  7m.  27s.,  or  better ;  and 
therefore  I  certainly  think  that  a  good  horse  in  these  times, 
and  carrying  only  a  hundred  and  forty-five  pounds,  ought 
to  do  it  in  7m.  32s.  My  weight,  without  the  saddle,  was 
about  a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  Of  course  it  will  take  a 
horse  that  can  stay  the  distance  to  beat  Dutchman's  time  J 
for  one  that  is  going  to  come  back  before  the  three  miles 
are  accomplished  can  never  do  it,  no  matter  how  fast  he 
may  be.  The  fact  that  it  has  stood  so  long  unequalled 
should  admonish  us,  I  think,  that  we  have  of  late  rather 
neglected  to  cultivate  lasting  qualities  in  our  trotters,  and 


1C6  ,  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

that  we  liave  almost  entirely  allowed  saddle-races  and  long 
heats  to  pass  out  of  practice.  I  am  induced  to  say  here  of 
the  two  horses  that  started  in  harness  against  Dutchman's 
time,  they  both  lost  rather  by  ill-luck  and  inadvertence  than 
by  reason  of  lack  of  ability.  Mora  Temple  would,  in  fact, 
have  accomplished  the  feat,  had  she  been  allowed  the  dis- 
tance that  the  Centreville  Course  is  more  than  a  mile,  three 
times  over.  But  this  could  not  be ;  for,  when  gentlemen 
have  taken  a  course  for  a  mile  at  the  beginning  of  a  race, 
they  will  have  to  take  it  for  just  that  distance,  and  no  more, 
at  the  end  thereof. 

General  Butler  lost  by  reason  of  his  bad  breaks  in  the 
third  mile.  Now,  in  my  judgment,  he  did  not  break  because 
he  was  tired,  but  because  of  the  injudicious  striking-in  of  one 
of  his  managers  to  go  with  him  with  another  horse  at  that 
juncture.  Had  it  been  left  to  Butler  and  young  Ben  Mace's 
running-horse  that  went  with  him  from  the  first  to  finish  it 
alone,  I  have  no  doubt  he  would  have  kept  on  and  won  it. 
I  had  money  laid  the  other  way,  and  considered  it  as  good 
as  lost.  This  General  Butler  is  a  very  remarkable  horse. 
He  is  one  that  you  do  not  feel  confidence  in  betting  on,  and 
are  afraid  to  bet  against.  On  the  day  that  he  made  his  great 
two-mile  time  to  wagon  against  George  M.  Patchen,  he  was 
a  wonder.  I  am  rather  inclined  to  the  belief  that  he  could 
have  equalled  Dutchman's  three-mile  time  that  day,  and 
have  done  it  to  a  wagon. 

In  regard  to  colts,  I  have  previously  observed  that  the 
forcing  system  in  the  raising  of  trotters  was  not  advisa- 
ble. I  am  satisfied  that  it  is  not  only  expense  laid  out  to 
no  use,  but  for  a  purpose  which  is  likely  to  be  mischievous. 
Very  early  maturity  is  only  to  be  attained  accompanied 
with  the  liability,  the  almost  certainty,  of  corresponding 
early  decay ;  and,  to  achieve  such  excellence  as  that  to  which 
Dutchman  attained,  the  trotting-horse  must  have  all  his 
powers  long  after  the  period  at  which  most  running-horses 
have  left  the  turf.  The  reason  is  obvious.  The  trotter  has 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  167 

to  be  educated  up  to  his  best  and  strongest  rate,  and  the 
education  takes  many  years.  Dutchman  improved  until  he 
was  ten  or  eleven  years  old,  and  it  may  be  questioned 
whether  his  very  best  capabilities  were  ever  brought  out ; 
for  the  change  into  new  hands  just  when  he  had  come  to 
the  highest  pitch  that  we  know  of  was  not  altogether 
favorable  to  continued  advance.  Therefore,  when  a  trotting- 
horse  has  attained  the  age  of  seven,  and  is  aged,  or  arrived 
at  natural  maturity,  he  has  only  just  reached  that  stage 
when  we  may  begin  to  expect  the  development  of  his  finest 
powers ;  and  that  development,  according  to  my  experience, 
is  likely  to  be  gradual,  and  to  continue  for  a  long  time.  No 
doubt  many  horses  never  improve  after  they  are  seven ;  and 
in  some  cases  the  speed  comes  to  them  all  at  once,  as  the 
saying  is.  In  the  former,  the  constitution,  breeding,  or 
form  is  probably  defective. 

A  century  of  work  would  not  improve  some  horses.  They 
get  to  their  best  early,  and  only  because  their  best  is  very 
bad.  In  the  other  instance,  it  will  commonly  be  found  that 
those  who  have  jumped  up  all  at  once  have  been  horses  who 
have  changed  their  gait,  and  got  to  going  square,  or  have 
changed  hands,  and  in  different  treatment  have  done  first 
what  they  could  have  nearly  done  before  with  the  same 
handling.  Hence,  while  there  is  but  little  reason  for  being 
in  a  hurry  with  a  young  trotting-colt,  and  none  at  all  for 
the  expectation  that  he  may  arrive  at  his  best  early,  except 
when  his  best  will  be  but  bad,  there  is  every  reason  for 
giving  Nature  full  time  to  perfect  the  hardy,  enduring 
frame  in  her  own  cunning  way  without  forcing. 

It  is  altogether  likely  that  Dutchman  might  have  been  made 
a  bigger  horse,  though  he  was  big  enough  in  my  judgment, 
and  an  earlier  horse,  by  means  of  strong  feeding  when  very 
young ;  but  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  neither  his  stoutness  in 
a  race  of  heats,  nor  his  constitutional  ability  to  resist  the 
wear  and  tear  of  the  race  of  life,  would  have  been  improved 


168  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

thereby.  On  the  contrary,  reason  and  experience,  to  my 
mind,  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  they  would  have  been  dam- 
aged. Our  trotting-horses,  as  a  rule,  endure  much  longer 
than  our  running-horses.  If  it  be  said  that  the  conditions 
of  training  and  racing  are  not  the  same,  I  reply,  that  in  old 
times  the  running-horse  endured  and  was  kept  upon  the 
turf  more  than  twice  as  long  as  he  is  at  present,  and  ran 
much  harder  races. 

The  distance  and  weights  in  England  used  to  be  three 
and  four  mile  heats,  and  the  weights  from  about  140  pounds 
to  168  pounds ;  yet  the  horses  used  to  run  until  they  were 
not  merely  "  aged,"  but  old.  Whereas,  at  the  present 
time,  they  commonly  retire  before  they  are  seven  ;  and  take 
away  two  geldings,  Throgsneck  and  Bed  Oak,  there  is  not 
a  prominent  race-horse  in  this  country,  England,  or  Ireland, 
to-day,  that  is  eight.  Now,  that  arises  in  a  great  measure 
from  the  forcing  system  adopted  to  make  colts  at  three 
years  old  as  forward  as  they  used  to  be  at  five ;  and,  with 
regard  to  the  trotter,  it  ought  to  be  avoided.  He  must  last 
many  years  to  make  a  first-rate  one ;  whereas  the  running- 
horse  is  commonly  as  good  at  four  or  five  years  as  he  ever 
would  be,  if  he  could  run  on  until  he  was  twenty.  There 
is  nothing  in  the  thoroughbred  horse  that  entails  earlier 
decay  than  other  strains  are  liable  to.  If  of  good  sound 
family,  such  as  Messenger  belonged  to,  and  not  subjected  to 
severer  treatment  and  greater  strain  than  horses  of  other 
breeds  are  called  upon  to  endure,  I  am  satisfied  that  the 
thoroughbred  is  the  hardiest  as  well  as  the  speediest  and 
stoutest  animal  that  the  art  of  man  has  been  able  to 
perfect. 

Another  point  against  which  I  warned  the  owners  and 
handlers  of  young  trotting-horses  was  the  practice,  beginning 
to  obtain  to  a  mischievous  extent,  of  taxing  their  powers 
severely  while  they  are  in  the  sap  and  green  of  youth.  We 
find  that  Dutchman  never  trotted  a  race  until  he  was  six 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  169 

years  old,  and  that  he  had  no  training  to  undergo  until  he 
was  seven.  Does  anybody  think  that  he  would  have  been  a 
sound,  fast,  strong  horse  at  eighteen,  if  he  had  been  put 
through  the  mill  of  hard  training,  high  trials,  and  severe 
races  at  three  or  four  ?  It  is  the  "  grand  preparation  "  and 
the  screwing-up  in  the  high  trial  that  take  away  the  steel 
and  life  of  the  young  horses.  Very  often  the  race  itself  is 
an  easy  one  for  the  winner;  but  the  mischief  has  been 
done  before  the  race  was  come  to,  and  the  young  horse  is 
seriously  damaged,  if  not  ruined  for  life.  A  horse  like 
Dutchman  does  twenty  times  more  hard  work  as  a  trot- 
ter, than  twenty  of  the  early,  hard-trained,  tried,  and  raced 
ones  can  ever  do ;  and  it  don't  hurt  him  one  bit. 

Some  will  say  the  comparison  is  not  fair :  Dutchman  was 
a  very  extraordinary  horse.  I  answer  so  he  was ;  but,  if 
you  want  one  approaching  his  excellence  in  all  points,  don't 
you  go  to  stuffing  your  colts  with  bruised  oats  and  oatmeal 
before  they  are  weaned,  and  ramming  them  up  to  the  full 
extent  of  their  powers,  in  training,  trials,  and  the  like,  at 
three  years  old.  I  know  that  the  man  who  has  got  a  three- 
year-old  flyer  or  two  to  sell  at  a  high  price  will  call  these  sad, 
'  old-fogy  notions,  say  that  I  am  behind  the  age,  and  that 
the  early  system  is  the  thing.  So  it  is  for  liim,  because  he 
is  going  to  sell  the  colt  that  has  been  hurried  along  to  an 
unnatural  and  fleeting  precocity ;  and  when  he  has  been 
sold,  and  the  nine  days'  wonder  of  the  big  price  has  passed 
away,  that  is  probably  the  last  we  shall  ever  hear  of  the  colt, 
and  the  seller  will  have  one  more  of  the  same  sort,  or  may 
be  as  fast  and  younger,  to  dispose  of  next  year.  But  you 
want  to  produce,  if  possible,  one  that  in  the  course  of  time  — 
time,  that  tries  all  —  shall  earn  a  solid  and  enduring  reputa- 
tion as  a  good  trotter ;  therefore  follow  the  old  racing  maxim, 
"  Wait  and  win." 

You  will  have  to  be  at  the  expense  of  some  money  and 
more  patience  in  the  extra  year  or  two  that  must  elapse  be- 


170  THE  TROTTING-HOESE  OF  AMERICA. 

fore  your  colt  can  be  put  to  strong  work,  and  you  must  wait 
for  the  reward.  The  opposite  doctrine  to  that  which  I  have 
laid  down  is  exactly  in  point  with  the  resolution  of  the  fool  in 
the  fable :  "  I'll  not  wait  for  the  slow  operation  of  this  goose 
in  laying  one  golden  egg  a  day :  I'll  kill  her,  and  get  them 
all  at  once  ! " 


XIX. 

The  Story  of  Ripton.  —  Description  of  him.  —  Ripton  and  Mount  Holly. — 
Ripton  and  Kate  Kearney.  —  Peter  Whelan  and  George  Youngs.  — Rip- 
ton  and  Don  Juan.  —  Necessity  of  Work  and  Practice.  —  Ripton, 
Dutchman,  Confidence,  and  Spangle.—  Ripton,  Duchess,  and  Quaker.— 
Ripton  and  Revenge.  —  Ripton  and  Lady  Suffolk.  —  A  Fast,  Close  Race. 

BEFOEE  my  experience  was  completed  with  Dutchman, 
another  horse  came  into  my  hands,  who  was  second 
only  to  that  famous  trotter,  in  my  estimation,  for  speed  and 
"bottom,  and  ahility  to  stand  wear-and-tear,  when  he  had 
had  good  practice  and  had  come  to  a  ripe  maturity.  I  speak 
of  E/ipton,  who  became  very  celebrated  just  before  Dutch- 
man left  the  turf;  for  the  road  had  passed  into  the  possession 
of  Mr.  Janeway.  Bipton  was  a  very  handsome  bay  horse, 
with  four  white  legs  and  a  blaze  in  the  face.  In  that  par- 
ticular he  was  like  Dexter,  who  is  now  a  greatly  esteemed 
favorite  of  mine,  and  brown.  Like  him,  too,  he  was  a  little 
horse  in  inches,  but  good  and  substantial  in  make  and  girth. 
He  did  not  stand  above  fifteen  hands  high ;  but  he  had  fine 
power,  and  was  a  horse  of  uncommon  fire,  spirit,  and  deter- 
mination. His  style  of  going  was  very  fine,  —  as  near  per- 
fection as  any  thing  I  have  ever  seen ;  but,  from  the  fact 
that  one  foreleg  was  whited  higher  up  towards  the  knee 
than  the  other,  casual  observers  often  fancied,  when  he  was 
going  fast,  that  he  lifted  that  foot  the  highest,  and  slapped 
it  down  with  extraordinary  vim.  That  was  a  mistake,  —  a 
mere  optical  illusion.  He  went  as  level  as  the  flow  of  a 
smooth  stream  that  is  swift  and  deep.  I  cannot  say  what 
his  pedigree  was, 

171 


172  THE  TROTTING-HOESE  OF  AMERICA. 

I  have  heard  something  of  his  having  been  got  by  a  cer- 
tain horse  j  but  it  is  only  hearsay,  and  of  no  value  or  author- 
ity. In  1835  he  was  brought  to  New  York  from  the  Eas- 
tern States,  and  offered  for  sale,  being  then  five  years  old. 
Mr.  Peter  Barker,  who  owned  Dutchman  at  the  time,  agreed 
to  buy  him  if  he  suited  in  a  trial.  They  tried  him  on  the 
Centreville  Course  in  harness ;  and  he  made  his  mile,  driven 
by  Joel  Conklin,  in  2m.  46s.,  in  great  style.  He  was  after- 
wards sold  to  Mr.  George  Weaver  of  Philadelphia,  and 
went  into  the  hands  of  James  Hammil.  Bipton's  first  race 
was  for  a  sweepstakes,  in  which  Mount  Holly  and  another 
were  also  engaged  ;  but  the  third  did  not  start,  and  Hiptoii 
beat  Mount  Holly  handily  in  two  straight  heats.  Ripton 
then  passed  into  the  hands  of  George  Youngs,  who  had  very 
great  celebrity  as  a  rider  and  driver  of  trotting-horses,  and 
deserved  it  all.  He  was  one  of  the  best  horsemen  that  I  have 
ever  known.  Bipton  was  brought  back  to  New  York,  and 
trotted  over  the  Beacon  Course,  mile-heats,  three  in  five,  in 
harness,  against  Kate  Kearney.  Kate  was  a  bay  mare, 
about  fifteen  hands  and  an  inch  high.  She  belonged  to  Mr. 
Stacey  Pitcher.  Ripton  won  the  first  heat ;  and  then,  after 
a  good  deal  of  consultation  between  the  parties,  they  agreed 
to  draw  the  race.  The  fact  was,  that  Ripton  was  very  high 
strung,  and  had  run  away  with  his  driver  a  day  or  two  be- 
fore, lie  had  given  some  indications  of  an  intention  to 
bolt  again,  and  they  were  shy  of  him. 

His  next  change  was  into  the  hands  of  Peter  Whelac, 
the  elder  brother  of  my  friend  William.  Peter,  like  George 
Youngs,  was  a  capital  rider  and  driver.  I  am  told  his 
brother  thinks  that  he  and  I  excelled  Peter  and  George 
soon  after,  if  not  at  that  time ;  but  I  have  my  doubts  wheth- 
er anybody  ever  excelled  either  of  them  much,  especially  in 
the  saddle.  Peter  Whelan  died  in  Philadelphia  in  1840, 
and  Ripton  was  then  sent  to  me.  Pie  was  then  ten  years 
old,  with  all  the  requisites  to  make  a  very  fine  trotter,  such 
as  he  afterwards  became,  but  was  not  altogether  then.  J 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  173 

had  had  him  some  two  mouths,  and  it  was  in  summer  time 
when  I  trotted  him  over  the  Beacon  Course,  two-mile  heats, 
under  saddle,  against  Mr.  James  McMann's  Don  Juan. 
The  Don  was  a  handsome  chestnut  gelding,  fifteen  hands 
two  inches  high,  a  stylish  and  fine-going  horse.  We  got 
the  start  for  the  first  heat.  Eipton  took  the  lead,  was 
never  headed,  and  won  it  with  great  ease  in  5m.  19s.  It 
seemed  so  certain,  that  the  spectators  thought  he  could  not 
lose  it,  and  odds  of  100  to  5  were  currently  offered  and  laid. 
I  remember  the  circumstances  well,  not  only  from  the  fact 
that  it  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen  as  much  odds  laid 
between  two  horses,  but  from  the  unexpected  termination 
of  the  race.  In  the  second  heat  I  took  the  lead  again,  and 
it  seemed  all  my  own  for  a  mile  and  a  half.  I  then  felt 
Bipton  going  to  nothing  between  my  knees.  McMann  and 
Don  Juan  passed  us,  and  the  latter  won  it  handily  in  5in. 
33s.  Bipton  was  much  distressed ;  and,  believing  that  he 
had  no  chance  to  win,  I  drew  him. 

!N"ow,  this  was  a  case  showing  the  absolute  necessity  for  a 
good  deal  of  work  and  practice  as  a  trotter  to  enable  a  horse 
to  endure  through  two  two-mile  heats.  Bipton  was  a  horse 
past  the  age  of  constitutional  maturity ;  he  was  well  in 
health,  apparently  in  good  bodily  condition,  and  he  was  a 
game  and  stout  horse ;  but  he  had  never  been  trotted  much, 
and  lacked  the  practice  and  seasoning  which  braces  and  har- 
dens the  muscles,  and  enables  the  animal  to  endure.  He 
was  just  like  a  horse  trained  over  the  flat  for  a  steeple-chase, 
which  always  tires,  no  matter  how  good  his  bodily  condition 
may  be,  from  the  fact  that  the  muscles  which  have  to  be 
violently  exerted  when  he  rises  in  his  leaps  have  had  no 
practice  of  that  sort.  It  was  a  case  which  made  a  marked 
impression  upon  me  at  the  time,  and  I  afterwards  found  that 
the  conclusions  I  had  come  to  in  regard  to  it  were  correct. 
Bipton  was  noted  afterwards  for  his  game  and  bottom,  and 
also  for  requiring  a  great  deal  of  work  to  bring  him  out  fit 
for  one  of  his  best  performances. 


174  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

In  1841 1  took  Ripton  to  Philadelphia,  and  trotted  him 
over  the  Hunting-park  Course,  two-mile  heats,  in  harness, 
against  Dutchman,  Confidence,  and  Spangle.  Confidence 
was  a  very  fine  horse,  —  a  handsome  long-tailed  bay,  fifteen 
hands  and  an  inch  and  a  half  high.  He  belonged  to  Mr. 
James  Berry,  of  whose  death  recently  in  Cincinnati  I  was 
sorry  to  hear.  Spangle  was  a  horse  fifteen  hands  and  an 
inch  high,  and  was  so  called  because  he  was  spotted.  In 
this  race,  William  Whelan  drove  Confidence,  Hammil  Dutch- 
man, George  Woodruff  Spangle,  and  I  Ripton.  Ripton  won 
the  first  heat  in  5m.  19s.,  Dutchman  took  the  second,  and 
the  third  was  a  dead-heat  between  him  and  Confidence. 
Spangle  was  now  ruled  out  for  not  winning  a  heat  in  three ; 
and  I  drew  Ripton,  leaving  Dutchman  and  Confidence  to 
contend.  The  former  won  it. 

That  summer  I  went  to  Saratoga  with  a  stable  of  horses 
belonging  to  a  well-known  gentleman  named  Beach.  On 
my  return  to  New  York  in  the  fall,  I  borrowed  Ripton  of 
his  owner,  Mr.  Thomas  Moore  of  Philadelphia,  and  entered 
him  in  two  sweep-stakes,  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  with 
the  brown  mare  Duchess  and  the  roan  gelding  Quaker. 
The  latter  was  a  one-eyed  horse,  fifteen  hands  and  an  inch 
high.  Duchess  was  a  plain  little  mare,  scant  fifteen  hands. 
The  first  of  these  stakes  was  to  come  off  over  the  Hunting- 
park  Course,  Philadelphia,  and  the  other  in  two  weeks'  time 
over  the  Beacon,  New  Jersey.  At  Philadelphia,  Ripton 
won  in  two  straight  heats  handily.  At  the  Beacon  he  was 
the  favorite  against  the  field  at  small  odds,  and  won  again 
in  two  heats  with  ease. 

His  next  trot  was  at  Philadelphia,  in  the  winter  of  that 
year.  It  was  in  the  month  of  December,  over  the  Hunt- 
ing-park Course,  four-mile  heats  under  saddle,  against  a 
gray  horse  called  Revenge.  William  Woodruff  rode  Kip- 
ton.  The  course  was  very  heavy,  as  was  to  be  expected. 
Eipton  won  it  in  two  heats.  He  wintered  that  season  in 
Philadelphia,  and  came  back  to  me  in  the  spring. 


THE  TROTTING-EORSE  OF  AMERICA.  175 

His  first  trot  in  1842  was  in  May  (just  when  the  much 
talked-of  match  between  Boston  and  Fashion  was  pending), 
and  it  was  over  the  Beacon  Course,  two-mile  heats  in  har- 
ness, against  Confidence  and  Lady  Suffolk.  Whelan  drove 
Confidence,  Bryan  Lady  Suffolk,  and  I  Bipton.  Confi- 
dence was  the  favorite ;  hut  Bipton  won  in  two  heats,  in  5m. 
lO^s.  and  5m.  12^s.  He  won  these  heats  very  easily,  and 
thus  added  much  to  his  reputation. 

The  following  week  the  great  four-mile  race  between 
Boston  and  Fashion  came  off  over  the  Union  Course.  It 
was  a  regular  carnival  all  over  this  part  of  the  Island,  and 
immense  numbers  of  people  attended.  The  sportsmen  had 
come  from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  see  this  great  race 
between  the  famous  old  horse  and  the  Jersey  mare.  After 
it  was  over,  and  the  mare  had  won,  almost  all  the  people 
proceeded  to  the  Centreville  Course,  to  see  Lady  Suffolk 
and  Bipton  trot  two-mile  heats  in  harness.  At  the  start, 
he  was  the  favorite  at  two  to  one,  but  the  mare  beat  him. 
She  won  the  first  heat  in  5m.  10s.,  and  the  second  in  5m. 
15s.,  in  good  style. 

Eipton  did  not  act  as  well  as  I  could  have  wished  and 
expected;  and  I  was  anxious  to  give  the  gray  Lady  of 
Suffolk  another  meeting,  that  same  distance  and  way  of 
going.  In  about  six  weeks  or  two  months,  I  was  afforded 
the  opportunity.  It  was  at  the  Hunting-park  Course, 
Philadelphia,  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  and  Bipton  and 
Lady  Suffolk  were  the  only  ones  in  it.  Bipton  went  *way 
at  score,  and  took  the  lead.  He  kept  it  throughout  the 
two  miles,  and  did  the  heat  in  the  then  unparalleled  time 
of  5m.  7s.  The  accomplishment  of  this  feat  in  harness 
caused  a  vast  amount  of  interest  and  excitement  among 
trotting-men.  It  was  like  that  which  sprung  up  when 
Flora  Temple  outdid  herself,  and  morally  distanced  all  that 
had  gone  before  by  making  a  mile  in  harness  below  2m. 
20s.  When  we  started  for  the  second  heat,  the  odds  were 
large  on  Bipton ;  but  he  met  with  a  mishap,  and  it  was  all 


176  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

that  I  could  do  to  save  his  distance.  The  check-piece  of 
the  bit  got  into  his  mouth,  and  he  couldn't  trot.  At  one 
time  he  was  a  full  distance  behind  the  Lady ;  but  with  a 
sudden  jerk  I  drew  the  bit  square  in  his  mouth  again,  and 
got  him  to  going  time  enough  to  save  another  start.  The 
odds  were  now  two  to  one  on  the  Lady. 

The  third  heat  was  one  of  the  closest  and  finest  things, 
from  end  to  end,  that  I  have  ever  seen.  That  between 
Dutchman  and  Rattler,  in  their  great  race  of  four  three- 
mile  heats  under  saddle,  was  no  nearer  thing.  At  the  start 
we  went  away  together,  and  kept  on  almost  neck  and  neck 
for  the  first  mile.  The  second  was  just  the  same,  —  a  cease- 
less fight  all  the  way,  every  inch  being  contested,  and 
neither  having  a  shade  the  best  of  it  to  all  appearance.  A 
hundred  yards  from  home  they  were  head  and  head,  and 
apparently  doing  all  they  knew.  The  struggle  was  tre- 
mendous, and  they  trotted  as  if  their  lives  depended  upon 
it.  Bryan  used  the  whip  freely ;  and  now,  close  at  home,  I 
rallied  Eipton  with  the  bit,  and  called  upon  him  for  one 
final  dash.  The  little  horse  answered  the  call  very  gal- 
lantly, and,  amidst  the  most  intense  excitement  of  the  spec- 
tators, beat  her  home  just  two  feet.  The  gray  mare  fought 
for  every  inch,  and  stretched  her  neck  like  a  wild  goose  on 
the  wing;  but  the  nose  of  the  little  bay  horse  was  first 
past  the  post,  and  he  got  the  heat  and  race.  I  do  not  think 
that  I  have  ever  seen  a  better  race  than  this,  which  I  have 
briefly  described  above.  The  time  of  the  first  heat  has 
since  been  beaten  by  Flora  Temple  as  much  as  sixteen 
seconds  and  a  half;  but  in  those  days  this  performance  by 
Ripton  was  considered  very  great,  and  was  great. 

The  observations  I  have  made  heretofore  in  regard  to 
improved  tracks,  light  vehicles,  better  training,  higher 
breeding,  and  general  advance  in  speed  and  speedy  methods, 
will  all  have  to  be  considered  in  this  case.  If  Ripton  had 
not  got  the  check-piece  of  the  bit  into  his  mouth  in  the 
second  heat,  I  believe  he  would  have  won  this  race  easily. 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  177 

As  it  was,  I  had  a  deal  of  trouble  to  get  him  inside  the 
distance.  The  third  heat  was  a  close  struggle,  and  any- 
body's race  every  inch  of  the  way.  Suffolk  tried  her  ut- 
most, and  hung  on  to  the  last  stride,  like  a  dog  to  a  root. 
It  is  not  certain  to  my  mind  but  that  she  might  have  won 
it,  if  Bryan  had  let  his  whip  alone,  and  helped  her  out  with 
the  bit.  I  am  of  the  persuasion,  that,  unless  a  horse  is  a 
real  slug,  the  whip  does  more  harm  than  good  in  a  head- 
and-head  struggle.  Natural  emulation  then  incites  the 
horse  to  do  all  he  knows  in  such  circumstances ;  and  the 
business  of  the  rider  or  driver  is  to  aid  his  efforts  and  assist 
him,  not  to  keep  leathering  away  at  him  with  the  whip ; 
which  is  no  aid  at  all,  and  is  more  likely  to  make  him 
swerve,  or  give  up  in  disgust.  In  a  tight  squeeze,  with  a 
generous  horse,  the  bit  is  the  thing  to  win  with. 


XX. 

Ripton,  Brandy-wine,  and  Don  Juan.  — Eiptou  and  Quaker.  —  Ripton  and 
Spangle.  —  Ripton,  Lady  Suffolk,  and  "Washington.  —  Ripton  and  Confi- 
dence.—  Ripton  and  Americus.  —  Ripton's  Performances  in  1842  recapit- 
ulated.—  Conclusion  enforced.  —  Time  wanted  for  Maturity.  —  Ripton 
required  much  Work. 

AT  the  close  of  the  last  chapter,  I  recounted  the  inci- 
dents of  the  race  between  Kipton  and  Lady  Suffolk 
at  Philadelphia,  in  which  5m.  07s.  was  made  by  him  in  the 
first  heat,  which  was  the  first  time  that  mark  had  been 
made  in  harness.  The  time  of  the  other  heats  was  5m. 
15s.,  5m.  17s.  Before  proceeding  further  with  the  history 
of  the  famous  little  trotter  Eipton,  I  shall  make  mention 
of  several  races  which  have  since  come  to  my  recollection 
that  occurred  prior  to  the  period  at  which  he  made  the  5m.  07s. 
The  first  of  these  was  a  race  against  Lady  Suffolk  in  the 
spring  of  1841,  mile-heats  under  saddle,  over  the  Beacon 
Course.  Eipton  was  defeated  in  the  race,  and  I  attributed 
it  to  his  carrying  extra  weight.  I  rode  him  myself,  and, 
with  the  saddle,  weighed  a  hundred  and  sixty-seven 
pounds.  This  was  a  trifle  too  much  for  the  little  white- 
legged  horse ;  and,  after  a  tight  race,  the  Lady  beat  us. 
Another  race  I  had  forgotten  was  one  at  two-mile  heats 
under  saddle,  over  the  Beacon  Course,  against  Brandy  wine 
and  Don  Juan.  Brandywine  was  a  black  gelding,  about 
fifteen  and  a  half  hands  high.  Isaac  "Woodruff  rode  him. 
William  Whelan  rode  Don  Juan,  and  William  Woodruff 
Eipton.  The  latter  won  it  in  two  heats.  In  this  race  Eip* 
ton  trotted  half  a  mile  in  1m.  lljs'.,  which  was  then 
178 


TUE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA,  179 

thought  an  amazing  thing.  It  does  not  appear  upon  the 
record"  as  a  matter  of  course ;  hut  the  time  was  taken  and 
immediately  announced  by  so  many  careful  and  accurate 
gentlemen  that  there  is  no  doubt  about  the  fact ;  and  it  is 
proper  that  it  should  be  mentioned  here. 

Two  more  races  in  1841  have  to  be  noticed.  They  both 
took  place  in  Philadelphia,  over  the  Hunting-park  Course. 
The  first  of  them  was  two-mile  heats  under  saddle,  for  a 
purse  of  two  hundred  dollars,  against  the  bay  horse  Quaker. 
The  latter  was  a  great  bay  gelding,  seventeen  hands  high. 
Hammil  rode  him,  and  William  Woodruff  rode  Eipton. 
The  little  horse  defeated  the  big  one  in  two  straight  heats. 
Late  in  December  of  that  year,  and  when  there  was  at 
least  three  inches  of  snow  on  the  track,  Eipton  trotted  two- 
mile  heats  in  harness,  against  Spangle.  George  Youngs 
drove  the  latter ;  and  I  drove  Eipton,  who  won  in  two  heats. 
I  do  not  remember  the  time ;  but  I  know  it  was  slow,  which 
was  to  be  expected  in  that  weather  and  on  such  a  course. 

We  are  now  in  a  position  to  resume  our  account  of  the 
doings  in  which  the  little  horse  was  a  chief  actor  in  1842; 
after  the  5m.  07s.  time  in  harness,  which  concluded  the  last 
chapter.  The  next  succeeding  race  that  year  was  in  the 
latter  part  of  June,  over  the  Eagle  Course,  Trenton,  New 
Jersey.  It  was  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  Lady  Suffolk 
and  Washington  being  in  with  Ripton.  In  the  first  heat 
nothing  particularly  deserving  mention  occurred.  I  won 
it  handily  with  the  little  horse  in  5m.  16s.,  Lady  Suffolk 
second.  The  odds  had  been  large  on  Eipton  after  the  first 
heat;  and  most  of  those  who  had  taken  them  were  very 
vociferous,  and  in  ecstacies  of  delight ;  but  this  did  not 
last  long. 

In  the  first  mile  of  the  second  heat  Eipton  acted  badly.  The 
mare  was  a  long  way  ahead  at  the  end  of  it ;  and,  as  Bryant 
passed  the  stand,  he  sung  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Can  I 
distance  him  ?  "  There  was  such  a  shout  of  "  Yes !  go  on ! " 
in  reply,  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  multitude  had  an- 


180  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

swered.  Very  soon  after  we  rounded  the  turn  in  the  second 
mile,  E/ipton  got  levelled,  and  began  to  trot  in  his  fine,  com- 
manding style.  He  gained  fast  on  the  mare,  kept  on  going  to 
her,  and,  about  a  hundred  yards  after  they  passed  the  half- 
mile  pole  gave  her  the  go-by,  and  won  the  heat  handily  in 
5m.  18s.  The  excitement,  as  the  little  horse  shut  up  the 
great  gap,  was  intense ;  and,  at  the  end  of  the  heat  and 
race,  Bryant  was  much  disappointed.  He  declared  that  he 
would  not  trot  Lady  Suffolk  against  E/ipton  any  more, 
unless  it  was  under  saddle.  Early  that  fall,  Bipton  met 
Confidence,  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  over  the  Centreville 
Course.  We  won  it  in  two  heats  ;  the  time  of  them  being 
5m.  13Js.,  and  5m.  14£s. 

The  following  week,  they  went  over  the  same  course 
again,  two-mile  heats  to  wagons,  each  weighing  a  hundred 
and  eighty-one  pounds.  Bipton  won  the  first  heat  in  5m. 
15s.,  and  that  was  the  fastest ;  but  Confidence  got  the 
second  and  third  heats.  The  weight  was  a  trifle  too  much 
for  the  little  horse,  but  we  soon  had  our  revenge.  The  next 
trot  in  which  Bipton  was  engaged  was  a  sweepstakes  and 
purse  to  the  amount  of  $1,150,  on  the  Beacon  Course ;  and 
Confidence  was  also  in  it,  together  with  Lady  Suffolk.  It 
was  three-mile  heats  in  harness.  Bipton  won  the  first  heat 
handily,  in  7m.  56^s.  The  second  heat  he  also  took,  and 
the  time  of  that  was  7m.  59s.  It  was,  however,  a  closer 
thing  for  two  miles  between  the  three ;  and  the  finish  for 
second  monej^  between  Confidence  and  Lady  Suffolk,  was  a 
very  fine  and  near  race.  I  recollect  that  I  got  home 
handily  enough  to  turn  round  in  the  sulky  and  see  the 
struggle,  as  they  came  out,  for  the  second  money.  William 
Whelan  was  driving  Confidence,  and  a  very  little  way  from 
home  Lady  Suffolk  appeared  to  have  the  best  of  it ;  but 
Whelan  shook  his  horse  up,  and  came  with  such  a  rush  that 
he  beat  her  on  the  post  by  a  neck. 

The  next  race  we  went  with  Eipton  was  over  the  same 
course.  It  was  against  Americus,  two-mile  heats  to 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  181 

wagons.  George  Spicer  drove  Americus,  who  won  it  in 
two  heats,  the  fastest  of  which  was  5m.  14s.  I  believe  that 
was  the  fastest  two-mile  time  to  wagons  that  had  then  been 
made.  We  went  one  more  race  that  season  with  Eipton, 
and  it  was  also  over  the  Beacon  Course.  It  was  a  match 
against  Americus,  three-mile  heats,  in  harness,  for  $1,000 
a  side.  The  interest  felt  in  the  match  was  large,  and  peo- 
ple generally-thought  Americus  would  win  it.  The  attend- 
ance on  the  course  was  very  great.  Americus  was  the 
favorite  at  the  start  at  100  to  60.  In  the  first  heat,  Eipton 
went  away,  and,  taking  the  lead,  maintained  it  for  two 
miles  very  handily ;  but,  in  passing  the  stand  to  go  into 
the  third  mile,  he  unfortunately  struck  his  ankle.  This 
caused  him  to  fly  up  as  if  he  had  been  shot ;  and  he  acted 
so  badly  in  the  third  mile  that  he  was  nearly  distanced.  I 
managed,  however,  to  avoid  that,  and  saved  the  right  to 
start.  Most  people  thought  it  was  of  no  use,  and  the  odds 
current  on  Americus  was  100  to  5.  Even  at  that  rate  the 
layers  far  outnumbered  the  takers.  The  latter  were  few 
and  shy. 

Nevertheless,  when  I  felt  of  Eipton  in  the  second  heat, 
and  "  put  the  question  to  him,"  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Can 
you  do  it  now?"  he  said  "Yes!"  So,  coming  up  the 
stretch  on  the  first  mile,  I  took  the  lead  with  him :  he  was 
never  afterwards  headed  in  the  heat,  and  won  it  handily. 
There  was  much  excitement  and  some  tribulation  among 
those  who  had  laid  the  long  odds.  Americus  still  had 
the  call,  the  majority  depending  on  his  reputation  as  a  horse 
of  good  bottom.  I  concluded  that  it  would  be  best  to  make 
a  waiting  race  of  it,  and  so,  at  the  word  for  the  third  heat, 
'pulled  behind  and  trailed.  Here  I  kept  for  two  miles.  On 
passing  the  stand  the  second  time,  Eipton  began  to  pull  very 
hard ;  and  the  purchase  of  my  foot  against  the  iron  of  the 
sulky  was  so  powerful  that  it  parted,  and  the  end  going  for- 
ward, struck  Eipton  on  the  thigh.  He  gave  a  wild  bound, 
and  I  came  very  near  going  overboard.  I  managed  to  save 


182  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

myself,  however ;  and,  putting  my  foot  under  the  iron,  1 
bent  it  back,  so  that  it  did  not  touch  the  horse.  I  got  him 
down  to  his  work,  and  still  continued  to  trail  to  the  half- 
mile  pole.  I  was  satisfied  then,  from  the  way  Bipton  was 
going,  that  the  race  was  safe ;  and,  pulling  out,  I  challenged 
Americus  to  come  along  and  trot  for  it.  He  was  not  quite 
willing.  As  I  came  up  to  his  head  he  broke  ;  and,  passing 
him,  I  won  the  heat  with  ease,  and  so  got  the  race.  The 
layers  and  losers  of  the  great  odds  were  sorely  tried  by 
this  result,  which  was  a  very  good  ending  to  the  per- 
formances of  the  little  horse  in  that  year.  Bipton  then  left 
my  charge,  and  was  taken  back  to  Philadelphia ;  prior  to 
which,  however,  three  matches  had  been  made  for  him  to 
trot  in  the  following  spring.  They  were  against  Americus, 
for  $1,000  a  side  each,  three  mile  heats,  two-mile  heats,  and 
mile-heats,  three  in  five. 

But,  before  we  take  leave  of  Bipton's  performances  in 
1842,  it  will  be  interesting  and  useful  to  recapitulate  them, 
so  that  their  quality  and  amount  may  be  taken  in  at  a 
glance  and  appreciated.  He  trotted  then,  in  that  year,  as 
follows :  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  which  he  won  in  two 
heats,  beating  Confidence  and  Lady  Suffolk ;  two-mile 
heats  in  harness,  which  he  won  in  three  heats,  beating 
Lady  Suffolk ;  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  which  he  won  in 
two  heats,  beating  Lady  Suffolk  and  Washington ;  two- 
mile  heats  in  harness,  which  he  won  in  two  heats,  beating 
Confidence;  two-mile  heats  to  wagons  of  ISllbs.,  which 
Confidence  won  in  three  heats ;  three-mile  heats  in  harness, 
which  Bipton  won  in  two  heats,  beating  Confidence  and 
Lady  Suffolk ;  two-mile  heats  to  wagons,  which  Americus 
won  in  two  heats ;  three-mile  heats  in  harness,  which  Bip-* 
ton  won  in  three  heats,  beating  Americus.  Here  were  six 
races  of  two-mile  heats,  and  two  of  three-mile  heats.  Four 
of  those  at  two-mile  heats  Bipton  won,  and  both  of  those  at 
three-mile  heats  he  won.  The  two  he  lost  were  to  wagons. 
He  trotted  fourteen  two-mile  heats  and  five  three-mile  heats 
in. that  season,  and  of  these  he  won  thirteen. 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  183 

I  have  recapitulated  these  facts  for  the  purpose  of  using 
them  to  enforce  the  theory  I  have  laid  down,  to  the  effect 
that  the  trotter,  if  he  is  going  to  be  a  superior  one,  needs  a 
long  time  to  mature.  It  will  be  recollected,  that,  when  I 
first  trotted  Bipton  two-mile  heats  under  saddle  against 
Don  Juan,  he  died  away  to  nothing  in  my  hands  in  the  last 
mile  of  the  second  heat,  when  the  race  seemed  to  be  all  his 
own.  But,  with  three  years  more  of  work  and  practice,  he 
had  acquired  stamina  to  make  such  a  season  as  I  have  re- 
lated, and  to  put  a- fitting  climax  to  it  by  beating  Americus 
in  a  race  of  three  three-mile  heats,  winning  the  second  and 
third  heats  after  the  odds  of  twenty  to  one  had  been  current 
against  him.  He  had  been  all  the  time  "  a-coming,"  as  we 
horsemen  say ;  and  it  was  only  now  that  he  could  be  said  to 
have  reached  maturity  as  a  trotting-horse.  Yet  he  was  fast 
when  young  and  green ;  for,  as  I  have  said,  when  he  was 
brought  here  at  five  years  old,  never  having  been  on  a  track 
in  all  probability,  he  trotted  a  mile  in  harness  in  a  trial 
driven  by  Joel  Conkling,  in  2m.  46s.  That  does  not  sound 
so  fast  now ;  but  this  was  just  thirty  years  ago,  and  it  was  a 
very  great  performance  for  the  young  horse,  under  all  the 
circumstances.  It  was  seven  years  from  that  time  before 
he  made  the  season  of  1842,  the  trotting  of  which  I  have 
related.  'He  was  then  twelve  years  old,  and  had  only  then 
come  to  his  best  and  greatest  stoutness  as  a  trotter.  In 
fact,  it  was  this  continual  increase  of  staying  power  that 
made  him  so  formidable,  and  enabled  him  to  win  three-mile 
heats  against  such  a  bottom  horse  as  Americus,  when  it  was 
deemed  by  the  great  majority  that  he  had  no  chance,  and  a 
hundred  to  five  was  the  current  odds  against  him. 
'  Bipton  also  affords  a  fine  example  of  another  thing  I 
have  endeavored  to  impress  upon  the  mind  of  the  reader, 
viz.,  the  great  difference  there  is  in  the  amount  of  work  and 
general  treatment  required  by  different  horses.  Any  man 
who  pretends  to  lay  down  fixed  rules  for  work  and  feed  in 
training  is  either  a  fool  or  an  impostor,  and  very  likely 


184  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

both.  The  most  that  can  be  done  is  to  furnish  general 
principles,  the  application  of  which  to  particular  cases  is  to 
be  left  to  the  judgment  of  the  individual.  Bipton,  of  all  the 
horses  that  I  have  ever  had,  was  one  of  those  that  required 
the  most  work.  He  was  so  resolute  and  game,  and  his  spirits 
were  so  high,  that,  if  not  kept  down  by  a  good  deal  of  steady 
work,  he  was  almost  certain  to  run  away  as  soon  as  he  was 
suffered  to  go  fast.  With  the  work  most  horses  require,  he 
would  have  been  almost  or  quite  unmanageable.  It  was  so 
when  George  Youngs  had  him  in  his  youth ;  and  it  was  so 
still  in  his  old  age,  when  he  was  broken  down  and  had  been 
withdrawn  from  the  turf.  There  was  no  vice  about  the 
little  horse ;  but  the  exuberance  of  his  spirits  was  such,  when 
he  was  at  all  indulged,  that  he  would  run  away  out  of  mere 
fun. 


XXI. 

Ripton' s  Three  Matches  with  Americus.  —  Rip  ton  in  Mud.  —  Ripton  hi  Snow, 
—  Sleighing  on  the  Harlem  Road.  —  Ripton  and  Confidence. —  Owner's 
instructions. — An  Old  Horse  to  be  kept  Warm  between  Heats. — Match 
with  Bay  Boston. 

AFTER  Ripton' s  arduous  and  successful  season,  at  the 
close  of  1842,  ending  with  his  victory  over  Americus 
in  the  great  race  of  three-mile  heats,  he  went  into  winter 
quarters  at  his  owner's,  Mr.  Moore  of  Philadelphia ;  and  when 
the  time  came  to  prepare  him  for  his  three  matches  with 
Americus,  three-mile,  two-mile,  and  mile  heats,  in  harness,  he 
went  into  the  hands  of  George  Youngs.  The  first  of  these 
races  was  the  one  at  three-mile  heats,  which  came  off  early 
in  May,  on  a  Monday.  The  others  followed  after  intervals 
of  a  week.  They  were  all  trotted  on  the  Beacon  Course. 
The  three-mile  heat  race  was  won  in  two  heats  by  Ripton ; 
the  fastest  of  the  two  being  7m.  53-|s.  Next  week,  at  the 
two-mile  heats,  it  was  the  same.  Ripton  won  handily  in 
two  heats,  having  taken  the  lead  at  the  start  in  each, 
and  never  being  headed  in  either  of  them.  The  next  week 
came  the  mile  and  repeat  race.  The  track  was  very  heavy, 
and  the  odds  large  on  Ripton.  They  went  sloshing  along 
through  the  mud ;  and  the  little  white-legged  horse  won 
with  ease  in  two  heats,  the  best  of  which  was  2m.  38s-. 

I  may  here  observe  that  Ripton  was  one  of  the  best  mud- 
horses  I  have  ever  seen.  From  his  general  characteristics, 
one  would  scarcely  have  supposed  that  he  would  go  dashing 

185 


186  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

along  through  the  mud  when  his  stroke  was  throwing  it  all 
over  him,  and  the  spats  were  hitting  him  under  the  belly 
almost  in  shovelfuls.  But  so  it  was.  In  snow,  too,  he  was 
capital,  —  without  any  exception,  the  very  best  sleigh-horse 
that  I  ever  pulled  a  rein  over,  and  I  have  driven  many  of 
uncommon  excellence.  Next  to  Bipton,  Gray  Eagle  was 
the  best  horse  for  snow  that  I  have  ever  known.  It  made 
but  little  difference  to  the  former  whether  the  sleighing  was 
good  or  indifferent,  for  he  would  go  through  icy  water  and 
slush  as  if  he  liked  it ;  but  it  made  a  great  difference  to  the 
driver. 

Our  principal  sleighing-place  was  from  the  pavement  to 
Harlem  Bridge,  along  the  road ;  and  many  a  time  I  have 
driven  Eipton  the  length  of  it  at  wonderful  speed.  Great 
fun,  sleigh-riding,  when  the  air  is  keen  and  frosty,  the  sky 
clear,  the  snow  deep  and  crisp,  and  you  can  dash  along  at  a 
rate  down  in  the  thirties  with  confidence  that  your  trotter 
will  hold  out  to  the  end.  Ripton  was  one  of  these,  —  the 
best  of  them,  the  King  of  the  Sleighers !  What  a  peal  his 
bells  would  ring  as  he  dashed  down  Yorkville  Hill,  pound- 
ing away  with  those  white  legs  of  his  as  if  he  would  strike 
down  to  the  ground,  no  matter  how  well  packed  and  deep 
the  snow  might  lie.  Here  would  be  a  group  at  this  house, 
and  another  at  that,  taking  their  hot  toddy  to  keep  the 
cold  out ;  and  as  they  heard  the  swift  shaking  of  the  bells, 
and  the  fast  stroke  of  E/ipton's  feet  like  a  charge  beat  upon 
the  drum,  they  would  run  to  the  door  and  windows,  and 
crowd  the  stoop,  and  cry  "  Hallo !  here  comes  Hiram  and 
the  white-legged  pony ! "  It's  more  than  twenty  years  ago 
since  those  times ;  and  there  is  no  jingling  of  the  sleigh- 
bells  there  now,  no  matter  how  good  and  deep  the  snow 
may  be.  The  street  railroads  have  done  for  all  that. 

After  these  three  races  of  which  I  have  spoken,  Ripton 
went  into  William  Whelan's  hands,  and  was  entered  in  a 
purse  to  be  trotted  for  on  the  Beacon  Course.  But,  prior  to 
the  day  of  action,  something  became  the  matter  with  one 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  187 

of  the  little  horse's  hind-legs,  and  he  had  to  pay  forfeit. 
At  first  it  was  feared  that  he  would  break  down  if  put  in 
strong  work  again ;  but  the  leg  got  better,  and  he  came  back 
to  me.  After  some  little  time,  but  still  that  same  season, 
we  matched  him  against  Confidence ;  Bipton  to  pull  a  wagon, 
and  the  former  to  go  in  harness,  mile  heats,  three  in  five, 
for  $1,000  a  side,  on  the  Beacon  Course.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  Mr.  Berry  declared  that  some  time  before, 
at  the  close  of  a  race  in  which  we  beat  Confidence  and 
Lady  Suffolk  with  B-ipton,  that  Confidence  should  not  trot 
with  the  little  horse  in  harness  again.  So  we  agreed  to 
pull  a  wagon. 

The  match  came  off  on  a  fine  fall  day  in  September,  and 
there  was  a  very  large  attendance.  Everybody  was  pleased 
to  see  the  old  and  well-tried  favorite,  E-ipton,  on  the  course 
again,  and  able  to  contend  for  the  specie.  He  was  not  in 
the  best  of  fix,  though ;  for  he  still  had  a  game  leg,  which 
made  it  a  dangerous  race  for  him,  to  say  nothing  of  his 
going  to  wagon  while  Confidence  was  in  harness.  But,  for 
all  that,  the  people  laid  odds  on  him ;  and  Jack  Harrison, 
who  had  made  the  match,  backed  him  for  a  large  amount. 
Prior  to  the  start,  he  and  Mr.  Moore  gave  me  instructions 
how  to  drive  the  race.  My  own  opinion  differed  from  theirs ; 
but  finding  them  very  confident,  and  obstinate  in  their 
notions,  I  started  out  to  do  as  they  said.  It  was  upon  the 
old  principle  and  maxim  of  the  sailor,  "  Obey  orders,  if  it 
breaks  owners ! "  The  result  was  not  favorable.  Confi- 
dence won  the  first  heat  in  2m.  35^s.,  and  the  next  in  2m. 
37s.  Everybody  now  thought  it  was  as  good  as  over ;  and 
the  long  odds  of  one  hundred  to  five  on  Confidence  were 
freely  offered,  and  no  takers.  At  the  close  of  the  second  heat, 
I  remarked  to  Mr.  Moore  and  Jack  Harrison  that  their 
method  did  not  seem  to  answer.  "Well,"  said  they, 
"  you've  no  chance  to  win  it  now,  so  do  as  you  please." 

But  there  was  a  chance,  and  I  knew  it.  The  first  thing 
I  did  was  to  change  the  wagon.  The  one  I  had  been  driv- 


188  THE  TROTT1NG-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

ing  Avas  a  very  nice  one,  which  had  been  built  by  Mr.  Joseph 
Godwin,  and  only  weighed  741bs.  It  had  got  doubled  up, 
principally  from  Kipton's  hard  pulling  in  the  first  and  second 
heats.  In  order  to  change  it,  I  borrowed  a  wagon  of  Fred. 
Johnson,  and  that  only  weighed  four  pounds  more  than  the 
other.  These  two  were  the  earliest  of  the  very  light  wag- 
ons :  there  was  not  another  like  them  at  that  time.  Instead 
of  letting  B-ipton  cool  out,  I  just  took  him  out  of  one  wag- 
on and  put  him  into  the  other,  and  jogged  him  up  and  down 
the  backstretch  until  it  was  time  for  the  next  heat.  When 
a  horse  is  old  and  a  little  crippled,  it  does  not  answer  to  let 
him  get  cool  and  stiff  between  the  heats.  I  like  to  keep 
such  an  one  warm  and  limber.  The  previous  exertion,  by 
starting  the  circulation  and  setting  up  violent  action  all 
through  the  system  has  counteracted,  for  the  time  being, 
the  stiffness,  soreness,  and  lameness  which  are  in  a  measure 
chronic ;  and,  this  being  so,  it  seems  to  me  advisable  to  keep 
steam  up  a  little  during  the  interval  between  heats.  Hav- 
ing kept  Ripton  jogging  until  we  were  called  up  for  the 
third  heat,  I  gave  him  a  sharp  brush  of  half  a  mile  prepara- 
tory to  it.  In  the  course  of  that  enlivening  brush,  I  cut  him 
with  the  whip  twice  pretty  hard ;  and  he  went  away  from  it 
like  a  bullet.  This  was  the  first  and  last  time  that  I  ever 
whipped  the  little  horse,  except  in  the  finish  of  a  heat.  He 
was  the  last  horse  in  the  world  to  want  it,  save  in  the  nip 
and  tuck  of  a  long  and  desperate  race.  His  style  of  going 
was  very  free  and  determined,  head  up  and  tail  right  on  end 
over  his  quarters,  and  cutting  through  the  air  with  a  sharp 
swish  as  he  worked  it  from  side  to  side,  just  as  a  fighting- 
dog  does  his  when  he  has  got  a  punishing-hold. 

Ripton  was  now  boiling  hot  and  well  settled.  At  the  first 
coming  up,  we  got  the  word ;  and,  shooting  him  out,  I  took 
the  pole  from  Spicer  before  we  had  gone  seventy-five  yards. 
Of  course  Eipton  had  now  a  good  lead ;  and,  trotting  in  his 
old  style,  he  was  never  headed,  and  won  the  heat  easily  in 
2m.  38s.  Such  a  shout  as  there  was  when  the  little  horse 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  189 

came  slashing  in  ahead  was  never  hardly  heard  on  any  other 
occasion  at  the  Beacon.  Jack  Harrison  hugged  me,  and 
tossed  his  hat  up  in  the  air.  The  odds  swung  right  over. 
It  had  been  a  hundred  to  five,  and  no  takers,  on  Confidence ; 
and  now  a  hundred  men  shouted  all  together,  "  A  hundred 
to  fifty  on  Kipton  ! " 

Again  I  kept  the  little  horse  jogging  until  it  was  time  to 
start.  He  won  the  fourth  heat,  taking  the  lead  at  the  start, 
and  not  being  headed  in  it.  The  time  of  it  was  2m.  39s. 
The  fifth  heat  was  a  mere  repetition  of  the  fourth.  Ripton 
won  it  easily  in  2.41.  This  was  the  second  race  that  he  had 
won  against  odds  of  one  hundred  to  five ;  and,  at  this  dis- 
tance of  time,  I  say,  with  all  confidence  and  without  egotism, 
that  he  would  not  have  won  it  but  for  the  decided  "  persua- 
sion "  he  got  between  the  second  and  third  heats.  The 
horse  was  old  and  partly  crippled,  and  it  don't  answer  to  go 
to  coddling  with  such  a  one  when  the  race  is  in  hand.  He 
had  to  have  something  to  wake  him  up,  and  let  him  know 
that  real  business  was  to  be  transacted,  and  he  must  "  do  or 
die,"  as  the  saying  is. 

A  word  here  may  not  be  out  of  place  in  reference  to  in- 
structions from  owners  or  backers  of  horses  to  drivers.  If 
the  horse  is  strange  to  the  driver,  the  latter  is  in  need  of  all 
the  instructions  the  other  parties,  who  are  supposed  to  know 
something,  can  give.  But  it  commonly  happens  that  the 
driver  knows  the  horse  quite  as  well,  and  a  little  better,  than 
they  do ;  and,  furthermore,  he  generally  knows  something 
of  the  opposing  horses  in  the  race,  which  is  a  very  material 
consideration  in  determining  the  method  which  ought  to  be 
pursued.  In  this  case  of  Eipton's,  and  in  that  in  which  I 
drove  Prince  the  chestnut  horse  against  Hero  the  pacer 
ten  miles,  the  horses  could  not  have  won  if  the  instructions 
I  received  had  been  carried  out  to  the  end.  Yet  the  gentle- 
men who  gave  them  had  experience  in  such  matters,  and 
were  rather  remarkable  for  sagacity,  than  the  reverse.  It 
ought  to  be  considered  that  the  instructing  of  a  driver  in  a 


190  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

trotting-race  is  a  very  different  matter  to  the  giving  of 
orders  to  a  boy  in  a  running-race.  The  driver  is  always  a 
man,  with  the  experience  that  a  man  may  possess  in  that 
profession.  He  has  also  commonly  trained  the  horse,  and 
therefore  knows  his  peculiarities  and  disposition;  that  is, 
he  ought  to  know  them.  It  follows  that,  in  most  cases,  in- 
structions to  the  driver  are  unnecessary  if  not  mischievous. 
As  to  whether  the  driver  ought  to  follow  them  when  he 
thinks  them  wrong,  is  a  difficult  question.  But,  if  I  am 
convinced  that  they  are  wrong,  I  either  disregard  the  in- 
structions when  the  pinch  comes,  or  refuse  to  drive  the  horse. 
My  business  as  a  driver  is  to  win  races ;  and  if  I  know,  as 
well  as  I  can  know  any  thing  beforehand,  that  a  certain 
method  pointed  out  is  not  the  way  to  win,  but  to  lose,  I  just 
follow  the  instructions  as  long  as  it  answers  and  until  I  can 
see  a  chance  to  do  better.  This  trot  with  Confidence  was 
the  last  Eipton  was  engaged  in  that  year,  1843.  He  started 
only  four  times  that  season,  and  won  all  the  races. 

In  the  following  year  he  remained  at  Philadelphia  with 
his  owner,  Mr.  Moore,  and  did  not  trot  in  public  at  all.  In 
1845  he  wras  brought  to  New  York  in  the  spring,  but  fell 
lame,  and  was  sent  back  to  Philadelphia  again.  He  soon 
got  right,  and  was  trotted  against  Americus,  mile  heats, 
three  in  five,  in  harness,  over  the  Hunting-park  Course, 
Philadelphia.  The  race  came  off  in  the  first  week  of  June, 
and  was  a  very  good  one  of  five  heats.  Of  these,  B-ipton 
won  the  first,  second,  and  fifth ;  Americus  winning  the  third 
and  fourth.  So  Bipton  got  the  race,  and  purse  of  $200. 
The  time  was  2.40,  2.38,  2.39,  2.41,  2.45.  In  the 
September  of  that  year  I  was  living  at  Boston,  and  made  a 
match  for  $500,  half  forfeit,  for  Kipton  to  trot  two-mile 
heats,  in  harness,  against  Bay  Boston,  a  horse  fifteen  hands 
three  inches  high,  over  the  Cambridge  Course.  Having 
made  this  match,  I  sent  to  Philadelphia  for  the  horse,'  and 
they  started  with  him.  On  the  way  they  stopped  at  New 
York,  and  trotted  him  for  a  purse  of  $300,  two-mile  heats 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  191 

in  harness,  on  the  Union  Course.  His  opponents  were 
Duchess  driven  by  William  Whelan,  and  Americus  by 
George  Spicer.  A.  Ten  Eyck,  formerly  and  better  known 
as  Brommy,  drove  Ripton.  The  mare  won  the  first  heat, 
Americus  took  the  second,  and  Duchess  was  distanced  for 
foul  driving.  Several  spokes  were  knocked  out  of  Bipton's 
wheel.  Americus  won  the  third  heat  and  race.  Immedi- 
ately after  this  race,  Kipton  was  sent  on  to  me ;  but  I  found, 
the  first  time  I  drove  him,  that  he  was  lame  in  the  hind-leg 
again,  and  not  likely  to  stand  the  work  and  race.  I  there- 
fore compromised  the  match  by  paying  something,  and  sent 
the  little  horse  home  to  Philadelphia. 


XXII. 

Ripton  and  Lady  Sutton.  —  Lady  Sutton  and  Lady  Moscow.  —Death  of 
Lady  Moscow.  —  Her  Burial-place.  —  Her  Produce.  —  Horses  she  trotted 
against.  —  Ripton  and  Lady  Suffolk.  —  Ripton,  Sorrel  Ned,  and  Snake. 
—  Ripton  and  Jersey.  —  Ripton's  Last  Race. 

A  FTER I  sent  Bipton  back  from  Boston  with  this  second- 
_JLJL  ary  lameness  in  the  hind-leg,  it  was  a  good  while 
before  he  was  fit  to  trot  again.  A  long  rest,  however,  did 
a  great  deal  for  him ;  and  in  1847  we  deemed  him  well 
enough  to  trot  a  race  of  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  on  the 
Centreville  Course,  for  $1,000  a  side,  against  Lady  Sutton. 
The  Lady  was  a  little  brown  mare,  about  fourteen  hands 
and  three  inches  high,  stoutly  made,  and  with  much  speed 
and  good  bottom.  She  is  the  only  one  of  Ripton's  old 
opponents  that  is  yet  alive ;  and  she  may  be  seen  here  any 
day,  as  gay  as  a  lark  for  an  old  one,  as  I  shall  presently 
show.  In  the  race  which  took  place  in  November,  James 
Whelpley  drove  the  mare,  and  I  drove  Eipton.  The  Lady 
took  the  first  heat  after  a  stout  struggle,  and  then  they  laid 
two  to  one  on  her.  But  I  was  satisfied  that  little  white 
legs  had  yet  plenty  of  trot  in  him,  and  resolved  to  do  my 
utmost  to  get  it  out.  The  second  heat  was  desperately  con- 
tested. For  the  last  half  mile  the  horses  were  neck-and- 
neck,  doing  all  they  knew  under  the  whip.  It  was  a  very 
close  thing,  and  a  dozen  strides  from  home  seemed  to  be 
anybody's  heat  5  but  the  old  horse  lasted  the  longest,  and, 
lifting  him  with  the  bit  in  the  last  stride  or  two,  I  landed 
him  before  her  by  three  feet. 

There  was  very  little  to  choose  between  them  now,  and 

192 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  193 

we  prepared  for  the  deciding  heat.  The  mare  was  young 
and  fresh,  the  horse  old  and  stiff,  and  she  had  the  call  in 
the  betting.  At  the  word,  she  made  a  rush  for  the  lead, 
took  the  pole,  and  went  on  ahead  for  a  mile  and  three- 
quarters.  At  the  last  turn,  on  swinging  into  the  stretch,  she 
took  the  centre  of  the  track,  leaving  the  privilege  of  the 
inside  to  Bipton.  I  took  it,  and,  giving  him  a  sound  cut  or 
two  with  the  whip,  challenged  her  for  the  heat  and  race. 
Another  desperate  struggle  ensued.  Both  were  whipped  at 
nearly  every  stride  they  took,  and  both  answered  the  call 
with  the  utmost  gallantry.  The  mare  had  a  little  the  best 
of  it  till  we  were  close  at  home,  but  Ripton's  perseverance 
at  last  prevailed.  He  got  to  her  head,  and  finally  succeeded 
in  beating  her  two  feet  in  one  of  the  finest  finishes  ever 
witnessed  on  that  course.  The  time  of  this  race  was  5m. 
15s.,  5m.  15s.,  5m.  18s. 

As  I  observed  just  now,  Lady  Sutton  may  be  seen  here 
any  day.  She  returned  to  the  Island  last  spring,  after  a 
long  absence,  to  be  put  to  New- York  Ledger,  by  whom,  I 
believe,  she  is  now  in  foal.  Here,  in  John  I.  Snedicor's 
pasture,  she  had  a  fond  companion,  until  within  these  few 
hours,  in  her  old  opponent,  Lady  Moscow,  another  very 
famous  mare  of  her  own  age,  or  it  may  be  a  year  older. 
When  these  two  old  competitors  met  in  the  pasture  after  never 
having  seen  each  other  for  many  years,  it  seemed  as  if  a 
mutual  recognition  took  place.  Go  by  when  you  would,  you 
would  see  the  two  little  old  mares  close  together,  grazing 
aloof  from  the  other  horses  in  the  pasturage.  They  both 
throve  amazingly,  and  got  young  again  to  all  appearance, 
in  their  companionship.  When  anybody  went  near  them, 
they  would  throw  up  their  heads  together,  and  stride  a  trot, 
like  a  spark  of  the  fire  of  other  days.  Each  had  done  a 
vast  amount  of  hard  work,  and  their  years  put  together 
made  almost  or  quite  half  a  century.  Lady  Moscow  looked 
the  younger  of  the  two,  but  she  has  gone  ftrst.  She 

13 


194  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

taken  with  a  sort  of  paralysis  on  Wednesday  night,  and 
died  Saturday,  Sept.  9,  in  the  afternoon.  The  seat  of 
the  disease  was  the  base  of  the  hrain,  and  all  the  veterin- 
ary art  in  the  world  would  have  been  insufficient  to  save 
her.  She  was  buried  on  the  Union  Course,  in  the  spot  where 
Young  Dutchman,  George  M.  Patchen,  and  other  famous 
trotters,  lie.  She  belonged  to  my  old  friend  Sim.  Hoagland, 
and  died  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  spots  where  he  saw 
the  last  of  Lady  Blanche,  the  first  foal  that  Abdallah  got, 
and  of  his  stallion  Gray  Messenger,  whose  produce  has 
turned  out  so  well.  So  we  shall  add  to  the  relics  we  possess 
of  Abdallah,  Messenger,  etc.,  some  mementoes  of  this  good 
old  mare.  Dr.  Pilgrim  is  to  have  her  near  fore-leg.  I  am 
glad  to  say  that  Lady  Moscow  leaves  a  very  promising  repre- 
sentative in  her  son,  the  young  gray  stallion  Privateer, 
who  divides  Sim's  love  and  admiration  with  his  half-brother, 
New- York  Ledger. 

As  we  stood  there  on  the  green  hillside,  looking  at  the  mare 
that  lay  dead  before  us,  it  was  really  touching  to  see  poor  old 
Suttoii,  wandering  round  her  dead  companion,  as  if  unable 
to  make  out  what  had  befallen.  Two  other  mares  were  near 
at  hand ;  but  Sutton  did  not  seem  to  notice  them  at  all,  her 
gaze  being  fixed  from  time  to  time  on  her  whose  sinews  were 
relaxed  and  whose  hoofs  at  last  are  still.  In  her  time  she 
trotted  successfully  with  Lady  Sutton,  Lady  Suffolk,  Jack 
E-ossiter,  Moscow,  Ainericus,  Pelham,  Mac,  Trustee,  Con- 
fidence, Vermont,  Zachary  Taylor,  and  many  others.  She 
has  been  reported  dead  once  or  twice,  but  four  days  ago  she 
was  alive  and  well.  A  year  or  two  since,  somebody  pre- 
tended to  have  her  at  St.  Louis ;  but  she  was  all  the  time 
in  this  State,  owned  by  Sim.  Hoagland.  The  man  who  pre- 
tended that  he  had  her  West  was  an  impostor. 

To  return  to  E/ipton,  after  these  few  words  about  the  old 
mares  who  were  on  the  turf  with  him.  Very  late  that 
year,  Dec.  28,  the  little  horse  trotted  a  race  of  two-mile 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  195 

heats  in  harness  on  the  Union  Course,  against  Lady  Suffolk. 
The  Lady  won  in  two  heats,  —  5m.  18  l-2s.,  and  5m.  25  l-2s. 
This  concluded  1847.  In  1848  and  1849,  Eipton  did 
not  trot,  but  remained  at  Philadelphia,  and  was  driven  on 
the  road  by  his  owner.  In  the  fall  of  1850,  it  was  deemed 
proper  to  bring  him  out  again ;  and  he  was  entered  in  a 
purse  at  the  Hunting-park  Course,  Philadelphia,  with 
Sorrel  Ned  and  the  brown  gelding  Smoke.  It  was  mile- 
heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness.  George  Youngs  drove  Sorrel 
Ned ;  0.  Dimmick,  Smoke ;  and  William  King,  Eipton.  It 
was  on  the  llth  of  October,  and  a  trot  of  five  heats  took 
place  for  the  money.  Eipton  won  the  first  heat  in  2m.  40s., 
and  was  second  to  Sorrel  Ned  in  2m.  39s.  for  the  second. 
Smoke  got  the  third,  in  2m.  38s. ;  and  Sorrel  Ned  won  the 
fourth  and  fifth,  in  2m.  43s.  and  2m.  47s. 

Eipton  was  not  in  good  condition  for  this  race,  having 
had  but  little  work.  He  was  now  nineteen  years  old,  a'nd 
had  accumulated  fat  inside.  As  he  had  always  required 
a  great  deal  of  work  to  make  him  fit,  the  brief  preparation 
for  this  race  was  not  enough.  But,  believing  that  about  three 
weeks  more  would  bring  him  to  tune,  they  matched  him 
against  Sorrel  Ned  for  $1.000,  to  trot  over  the  same  course, 
mile-heats,  three  and  five,  in  harness,  on  the  4th  of 
November.  George  Youngs  drove  Ned,  and  William  King 
handled  Eipton.  At  the  start,  the  old  horse  was  the 
favorite  at  slight  odds.  He  won  the  first  heat  by  a  length 
in  2m.  42s.,  and  his  friends  began  to  sport  their  money  with 
confidence.  But,  as  Sorrel  Ned  had  only  been  beaten  a 
length,  his  friends  were  not  much  disheartened ;  and  they 
took  the  odds  offered  by  the  Eipton  party  quite  freely. 

The  second  heat  was  well  contested  by  Eipton;  but 
Ned  won  it  under  the  whip,  in  2m.  42s.  again.  The  betting 
was  now  even,  and  both  sides  a  little  anxious.  The  old 
horse  was  stiff  and  a  trifle  lame ;  but  his  backers  relied  up- 
on his  fine  pluck  and  sound  bottom  to  pull  him  out  victori- 


196  THE  TROTTING-ttORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

ous  from  among  the  pieces  of  the  broken  heats.  The  third 
heat  Bipton  won ;  and,  singularly  enough,  the  time  was  2m. 
42s.  again.  The  old  horse  was  now  a  strong  favorite  at  two 
to  one,  but  still  the  takers  were  rather  abundant.  They 
started  for  the  fourth  heat,  and  there  was  much  breaking 
and  running  on  both  sides.  At  the  outcome  they  were 
both  trotting,  and  crossed  the  score  neck-and-neck,  making 
a  dead  heat  of  it  in  2m.  44s.  The  drivers  now  charged 
each  other  with  foul  driving,  and  a  good  deal  of  crimination 
and  recrimination  ensued.  The  judges  ordered  them  to  get 
ready,  and  trot  the  race  out.  The  fifth  heat  was  won  by 
Sorrel  Ned  in  2m.  46s.,  and  it  was  nearly  dark  when  they 
finished  it. 

By  the  time  they  were  called  up  for  the  sixth  heat,  it  was 
so  dark  that  the  judges  could  hardly  see  a  man  across  the 
course.  Sorrel  Ned's  friends  declared  that  E/ipton  was  the 
best  t*unner  of  the  two,  and  asked  for  the  appointment  of 
patrol  judges.  Thereupon,  the  judges  sent  out  ten  men, 
with  instructions  to  post  themselves  at  various  points  around 
the  course,  and  take  notice  whether  the  horses  were  trotting 
or  running  when  they  passed  them.  This  was  the  best  that 
could  be  done  under  the  circumstances  ;  but  it  was  pretty 
clear  that  there  would  be  a  variance  and  dispute  in  the  re- 
ports of  these  patrol  judges,  and  how  their  differences  were 
to  be  reconciled  might  well  bother  everybody.  From  the 
start  the  horses  went  away  together,  and  soon  disappeared 
from  the  eyes  of  the  judges,  who  saw  no  more  of  them  until 
they  came  home.  At  the  outcome,  E/ipton  was  a  length 
ahead  on  a  trot,  and  Sorrel  Ned  ran  over  the  score.  The 
time  of  the  heat  was  2m.  47s.,  and  both  drivers  complained 
of  foul  driving  on  the  part  of  the  opposer. 

The  patrol  judges  came,  and  made  their  reports :  some  de- 
clared that  Elpton  had  passed  them  on  a  run,  while  Ned 
was  trotting.  Others  gave  in  the  reverse  as  the  fact  when 
the  horses  went  by  where  they  were  stationed.  The  one  at 


THE  TROTTINQ-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  197 

the  third  quarter  had  been  knocked  down,  run  over,  and  con- 
siderably injured  by  Kipton ;  and  I  should  say  with  the 
English  jury,  when  the  judge  told  them  that  the  assault 
was  proved,  and  the  plaintiff  was  a  great  sufferer  by  the 
battery,  "  sarved  him  right."  What  business  had  he  on  the 
track,  in  the  way  of  the  horses.  The  judges  heard  all  sides, 
and  deliberated,  and  finally  concluded  that  the  evidence  was 
too  conflicting  to  warrant  a  decision  either  way :  all  bets 
must  be  declared  off,  and  the  main  stakes  drawn. 

This  was  not  Ripton's  last  regular  race  on  the  course.  He 
belonged  at  the  time  to  a  gentleman  named  William  Mc- 
Cray  of  Philadelphia.  Although  he  was  nearly  twenty 
years  old,  I  still  had  a  great  fondness  for  Kipton,  and  went 
on  and  bought  him.  I  gave  $250  and  another  horse.  In 
the  following  winter  he  was  put  up  at  a  raffle  for  $1,000. 
The  tickets  were  disposed  of,  and  the  raffle  came  off  at  the 
Union  Hotel,  Broadway.  Mr.  Samuel  Isaacs  won,  and  so 
Ripton  became  his  property.  He  did  not  keep  the  old  horse 
long,  but  sold  him  to  John  Ryerson  of  Patterson,  1ST.  J. 
Here  he  was  worked  on  the  road. 

In  the  following  year,  they  matched  Ripton  to  go  two 
races  under  saddle  against  a  horse  called  Jersey.  They 
were  half-mile  heats,  and  were  trotted  in  the  lane  at  Patter- 
son. I  believe  the  old  horse  lost  one,  and  won  one.  In  the 
July  of  1852,  Mr.  Ryerson  brought  him  to  the  Island,  and 
entered  him  in  a  purse  of  mile-heats,  three  in  five,  on  the 
Centreville  Course.  George  Rayner's  chestnut  gelding  Se- 
lim  and  my  mare  Boston  Girl  were  also  in  it.  Ripton  was 
hardly  in  condition  for  the  company.  His  day  was  almost 
done ;  and  he  was  distanced  in  the  first  heat,  which  Selini 
won  in  2m.  35s. ;  and  this  ended  his  public  career.  He  was 
afterwards  taken  to  the  western  part  of  the  State,  I  believe ; 
and  there  was  a  report  current,  some  years  after  that,  that 
he  broke  a  leg  and  had  to  be  shot.  By  that  time  the  coun- 
try swarmed  with  Riptons.  You  might  find  them  trotting 


158  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

on  the  Island,  at  Albany,  and  as  far  west  as  St.  Louis ;  and 
there  were  besides  a  number  of  Young  Biptons  and  Kip- 
tons,  jun.  But  there  were  none  like  the  old  horse,  the  gay- 
heart  of  the  course,  when  he  used  to  come  tramping  on  with 
his  tail  right  on  end,  and  dashing  down  his  white  legs  in  the 
style  that  showed  they  meant  real  business. 


XXIII. 

Ability  to  pull  Weight  considered.  —  Form  best  calculated  for  it.  —  Mere 
Bulk  useless.  —  Long  Striders  seldom  Weight-pullers.  —  Kemble  Jackson. 
—  Description  of  him.  —  Kemble  Jackson  and  Washington.  —  Kemble 
Jackson  and  the  Nelson  Colt.  —  Kemble  Jackson  and  Black  Harry. — 
Kemble  Jackson,  O'Blenis,  Lady  Brooks,  and  Pelham.  —  Kemble  Jack- 
son. Mountain  Maid,  and  Flash. — The  Kemble-Jackson  Check. — 
Kemble  Jackson,  O'Blenis,  Pet,  lola,  Boston  Girl,  and  Honest  John. 

AS  the  development  and  improvement  of  the  fast  trotter 
has  exerted,  and  must  continue  to  exert,  a  vast  in- 
fluence upon  the  general  horse-stock  of  the  country,  used 
for  road-purposes,  it  is  necessary  to  consider  another  qualifi- 
cation besides  those  of  speed  and  bottom.  A  horse  may  be 
fast  on  the  course  before  a  light  sulky,  just  as  a  running- 
horse  may  be  very  speedy  for  a  mile  with  about  a  hundred 
pounds  on  his  back,  but  not  calculated  for  general  use  on 
the  road,  or  to  improve  the  common  road-stock  as  a  stallion. 
The  ability  to  pull  weight  is  a  quality  of  exceeding  value ; 
and,  when  it  is  found  in  connection  with  speed  and  stoutness, 
wo  may  safely  say  that  the  three  prime  characteristics  of 
the  harness-horse  are  obtained.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that 
the  ability  of  which  I  speak  is  that  which  can  pull  at  a 
great  rate ;  so  that  putting  on  extra  weight,  up  to  a  reason- 
able point,  shall  make  no  very  great  difference  in  the  per- 
formance of  the  trotter.  Almost  any  horse  can  pull  a 
moderate  weight  at  a  slow  pace,  on  a  good  road ;  but  those 
that  can  take  along  about  four  hundred  pounds,  and  keep 
the  pace  good  for  two  or  three  miles,  are,  and  always  have 
been,  rather  scarce. 

199 


200  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

There  is  a  great  difference  in  the  ability  of  fast  trotters 
in  this  respect ;  and  the  common  notion  that  a  great  bulky 
horse  is  best  calculated  to  do  so  is  a  fallacious  one.  For  a 
draught-horse,  great  size  and  bulk,  to  throw  an  immense 
steady  strain  into  the  collar,  may  be  valuable ;  but,  when  the 
weight  is  to  be  taken  along  at  a  great  rate,  other  things  aro 
of  more  importance  than  mere  size.  In  the  first  place,  then, 
as  to  height,  I  do  not  think  that  a  tall  horse  has  any  advan- 
tage in  this  regard  over  one  of  about  fifteen  hands  and  an 
inch,  or  fifteen  hands  two  inches  high.  The  tall  horse  is  apt 
to  be  leggy ;  and  his  height  often  comes  from  extra  length 
in  the  canon  bones,  which  multiplies  no  power.  Length 
in  the  arms,  shoulders,  thighs,  and  haunches  is  a  different 
matter.  It  follows  that  the  extra  height  of  the  horse  may 
be  rather  a  disadvantage  than  the  reverse,  in  regard  to  pull- 
ing weight  at  a  fast  rate. 

Mere  bulk  is  also  useless.  Everybody  must  have  seen 
horses  big  enough  to  pull  a  ton,  to  look  at,  and  able  to  trot 
very  fast  in  a  sulky,  or  to  a  skeleton  wagon,  but  unable  to 
act  to  advantage  to  three  or  four  hundred  pounds.  The 
weight-pullers,  as  a  general  rule,  are  of  medium  size,  with 
a  fine,  quick  stroke,  not  over  long,  and  they  bend  the  kneo 
well.  They  need  to  be  spirited  goers,  keeping  well  up  to 
their  work  all  the  time ;  and,  unless  their  temper  and  pluck 
are  both  good,  they  will  sulk,  or  give  up  from  faint-hearted- 
ness,  when  they  feel  the  weight,  and  the  speed  begins  to  tell. 
But  though  mere  bulk  is  useless  for  the  purpose,  a  fair 
amount  of  substance  is  required ;  and  it  will  be  found  in 
nearly  every  case,  that,  though  the  weight-puller  may  not 
have  a  large  frame,  he  possesses  a  large  muscular  develop- 
ment. Long  striders  are  seldom  good  at  weight.  Being 
greatly  extended,  with  a  load  behind  to  be  pulled  along, 
they  are  unable  to  recover,  and  shove  their  haunches  in 
quick,  without  extra  exertion,  under  which  they  soon  tire. 
Here  they  more  than  lose  in  time  of  stroke  what  they  gain 
in  space,  and  loiter,  as  it  were,  in  their  action. 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  201 

There  are,  however,  some  few  exceptions  to  this ;  and  one 
or  two  of  the  most  notable  I  shall  mention  farther  on.  The 
same  thing  happens,  "but  I  think  in  a  smaller  degree,  to  a 
long-striding  running-horse  going  in  mud.  Between  twelve 
and  thirteen  years  ago,  there  was  a  race  of  three-mile  heats 
on  the  Union  Course,  in  which  six  of  the  best  fast  weight- 
pulling  trotters  that  ever  were  seen  were  engaged.  It  was 
a  sweepstakes  with  a  purse  added,  and  amounted  in  all  to 
§4,000.  The  winner  of  that  race,  Keinble  Jackson,  was 
the  best  weight-puller  and  long-distance  horse  combined 
that  I  ever  trained  and  drove ;  and  as  I  believe  that  quite 
as  much  is  to  be  gained  by  reciting  the  lessons  of  experi- 
ence as  laying  down  theory,  I  shall  recount  his  brief  per- 
formances on  the  trotting-turf,  and  give  some  account  of 
this  his  last  and  greatest  race.  Besides,  his  case  is  of  great 
importance  in  another  point  of  view ;  for,  although  a  trotter 
of  remarkably  fine  speed  and  power,  he  was  such  a  bad 
breaker,  and  had  such  a  singular  kifack  of  sticking  his  head 
down  between  his  knees  when  he  did  break,  that  at  first  he 
was  beaten  by  horses  much  inferior  to  himself  in  speed  and 
bottom. 

Kemble  Jackson  was  a  chestnut  stallion,  with  a  white 
hind-foot.  He  was  by  Andrew  Jackson,  a  grandson  of  the 
imported  Barbary  horse  Grand  Bashaw.  Kemble's  dam 
was  a  good  trotting-mare,  whose  pedigree  is  not  known.  He 
was  fifteen  hands  three  inches  high,  a  compact  horse,  of 
good  substance,  but  not  great  weight,  and  he  had  a  plump, 
muscular  development.  He  belonged  to  Mr.  Eeynolds  of 
New  York ;  and  his  first  appearance  in  public  was  at  the 
Centreville  Course,  Long  Island,  on  the  12th  of  December, 
1850,  when  he  was  matched  three-mile  heats,  to  2501b. 
wagon,  against  Washington.  This  was  a  severe  race  at 
that  season  of  the  year,  and  the  track  was  very  heavy. 
Whelpley  drove  Kemble  Jackson;  and  Zeb  Conkling, 
Washington.  The  latter  won  it  in  two  heats  of  9m. 
12s.,  9m.  10s. 


202  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

The  next  season,  in  April,  Kenible  Jackson  was  matched 
against  the  Nelson  colt,  three-mile  heats  in  harness,  for 
$500  a  side.  It  was  the  first  trot  that  spring  on  the  Union 
Course,  and  the  track  was  very  heavy.  Kemble  Jackson 
won  it  in  two  heats,  9m.  06s.,  8m.  49s.  On  the  20th  of  Oc- 
tober following,  he  fulfilled  another  match.  It  was  three- 
mile  heats  to  2501b.  wagons,  against  Black  Harry,  for  $1000 
a  side,  and  was  trotted  on  the  Union  Course.  James  Whelp- 
ley  drove  the  stallion ;  and  George  Nelson,  Black  Harry.  The 
latter  won  it  in  8m.  38s.,  8m.  41s.  In  1852,  Kemble  trotted 
but  one  race.  This  came  off  on  the  28th  of  October,  on  the 
Union  Course.  It  was  three-mile  heats  in  harness,  for  a 
purse  of  $500,  $100  to  the  second  horse.  O'Blenis,  Kem- 
ble Jackson,  Lady  Brooks,  and  Pelham  were  in  it ;  and  they 
ended  in  the  order  named.  .  O'Blenis  won  in  two  heats,  and 
Pelham  was  distanced.  Kemble  Jackson  secured  second 
money.  The  time  was  8m.  52s.,  Srn.  53s.  In  the  spring 
of  1853,  Kemble  was  in  the  hands  of  Charles  Brooks,  and 
made  his  first  trot  on  the  Centre ville  Course,  April  21,  for 
a  purse  of  $150,  mile  heats. 

In  1853,  in  April,  Kemble  Jackson  came  out  again,  and 
trotted  mile-heats,  best  three  in  five,  to  wagons,  against  J. 
Nodine's  chestnut  mare  Mountain  Maid,  and  a  bay  gelding 
called  Flash.  Mountain  Maid  won  the  first  heat  in  2m. 
47s.,  and  the  second  in  2m.  50s.  The  stallion  was  second 
in  these  heats,  driven  by  Charles  Brooks ;  and  I  was  then 
asked  by  Mr.  Reynolds  to  get  in  and  drive  him.  I  did  so, 
and  won  the  third  heat  in  2m.  34s.  The  fourth  heat  was 
dead  between  Kemble  and  Mountain  Maid,  in  2m.  36s.,  and 
the  fifth  she  won. 

The  stallion  was  then  sent  to  me  to  be  handled ;  and,  in 
order  to  prevent  him  from  throwing  down  his  head  between 
his  knees  when  he  broke,  the  well-known  Kemble-Jackson 
check,  since  in  use  all  over  this  country,  and  introduced  in 
England  also,  was  invented.  It  answered  well  in  this  case, 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  203 

and  must  always  be  of  great  use  in  similar  ones;  but  I 
think  it  is  often  applied  in  cases  where  it  is  not  only  un- 
necessary, but  does  harm  instead  of  good.  The  stallion  was 
yet  wild  and  uncertain,  though  capable  of  fine  speed  and 
up  to  great  weight.  A  stake  was  opened  for  a  race  of  three- 
mile  heats,  to  wagons  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds, 
which,  with  the  weight  of  the  drivers,  a  hundred  and  forty- 
five,  \vould  make  at  least  three  hundred  and  ninety-five  pounds 
to  pull.  It  was  to  be  trotted  on  the  Union  Course  on  the 
1st  of  June,  1853,  to  be  $500  each,  and  the  course  to  add 
$  1,000.  Six  entered;  the  five  competitors  we  had  to  look 
to  meet  being  O'Blenis,  Boston  Girl,  Pet,  lola,  and  Honest 
John.  This  was  goodly  company. 

O'Blenis  was  a  bay  gelding  by  Abdallah,  got  when  that 
famous  old  horse  was  in  Kentucky.  He  was  sixteen  hands 
high,  and  an  uncommon  good,  game  horse.  He  was  a  long 
strider ;  but  for  all  that  was  up  to  weight,  could  pull  it  at  a 
great  rate,  go  a  long  distance,  and  stay  heats.  This  charac- 
ter, and  he  deserved  it  all,  made  him  the  favorite  against 
the  field  for  the  stake.  George  Abrahams  trained  and 
drove  him.  Boston  Girl  was  a  bay  mare,  fifteen  hands  two 
inches.  I  do  not  know  her  pedigree.  Fish  &  Raymond 
owned  her.  She  was  a  strong  mare,  with  fine,  bold  action, 
and  a  desperate  hard  puller.  John  Nelson  trained  and 
drove  her.  Pet  was  a  bay  gelding,  about  fifteen  hands  and 
an  inch.  He  was  a  finely-turned  horse,  well  made,  and  a 
very  handsome,  square  trotter.  Henry  Jones  had  him. 
lola  was  a  brown  mare,  sixteen  hands  high.  She  was  rangy 
and  blocklike  in  appearance,  with  fine  trotting  action. 
Charles  Brooks  drove  her.  Honest  John  was  a  bay  gelding, 
with  fine  white  legs  and  a  narrow  stripe  on  the  face.  He 
was  sixteen  hands  high,  and  a  fine,  rangy-going  horse. 
George  Spicer  had  him,  and  drove  him  in  the  race.  It  closed 
about  five  weeks  before  the  day  of  trotting ;  and  long  before 
that  time  I  had  got  Kemble  steadier,  and  he  had  gradually 


204  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

come  so  that  he  would  stand  forcing  without  breaking.  This 
was  not  all  done  by  coaxing.  Although  he  was  a  very  high- 
spirited  horse,  he  got  one  or  two  severe  lessons  in  the  course 
of  his  training.  A  little  whalebone  and  whipcord  is  some- 
times very  beneficial,  but  it  takes  care  and  judgment  to  find 
out  when  to  apply  it. 


XXIV. 

O'Blenis  against  the  Field.  —  Immense  Attendance  at  the  Race.  — Expecta- 
tions that  Kemble  would  break.  —  His  Great  Victory.  —  His  Early  Death. 
—  Weight-pulling  Mares.  —  Lady  Palmer.  —  Peerless.  —  California  Dam- 
sel. —  English  Theory  about  Trotting-Weight. 

THE  race  before  alluded  to,  in  which  Kemble  Jackson, 
O'Blenis,  Boston  Girl,  Pet,  lola,  and  Honest  John 
were  engaged,  had  been  made  about  five  weeks  before  the  day 
came  for  action.  As  I  have  before  mentioned,  the  stallion 
had  been  prevented  from  throwing  down  his  head  in  his 
breaks  by  means  of  the  "  Kemble- Jackson "  check ;  and, 
though  he  was  wild  and  uncertain  when  he  first  came  into 
my  hands,  he  had  gradually  become  so  steady,  and  could  go 
so  fast  and  easy  with  great  weight  behind  him,  that  we 
looked  forward  to  the  trot  for  the  three-mile-heat  race  with 
considerable  confidence.  But  the  other  parties  had  also 
been  at  work ;  and  the  horses  had  all  done  so  well,  and  given 
such  evidence  of  speed  and  stoutness  in  their  trials,  that,  to 
our  surprise  and  to  the  astonishment  of  most  other  people, 
every  one  of  the  six  came  upon  the  course  in  good  order 
to  contend  for  the  money.  The  owners  and  trainers  all 
thought  so  well  of  their  horses  that  they  backed  their  own. 

The  general  public,  however,  had  a  strong  favorite,  as 
usual,  and  the  famous  son  of  Abdallah  was  the  horse.  He 
was  backed  at  even  against  the  field,  and  a  vast  amount  of 
money  was  laid.  It  was  no  great  wonder  that  people  in 
general  should  have  such  faith  in  him,  for  he  was  a  capital 
horse ;  and  it  was  to  be  remembered,  that  here  was  the 
neighborhood  in  which  his  famous  sire  Abdallah  had  stood  so 

205 


206  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

many  years,  and  in  which  the  great  speed  and  invincible 
bottom  of  his  immediate  descendants  had  been  most  often 
and  most  completely  exhibited.  But  there  were  some  men 
whose  foolhardy  confidence  and  over-anxiety  to  back  him 
against  such  a  strong  field  I  was  a  little  surprised  to  see. 
The  argument  of  some  who  ought  to  have  known  better 
was,  "  He  can  beat  five  as  easily  as  he  can  beat  one ! "  Now, 
a  very  superior  horse  can  beat  five  middling  ones  as  easily  as 
he  can  one,  even  in  a  race  of  heats,  if  there  is  no  accident 
befalls ;  but  how  is  it  if  one  of  the  five  does  not  turn  out 
middling  on  the  day,  and,  taking  a  heat  from  the  favorite, 
breaks  the  race  up  into  nobody  knows  how  many  fragments  ? 
Here,  the  field  being  strong  in  numbers,  as  well  as  good  in 
quality,  there  was  great  reason  to  believe  it  would  be  too 
much  for  any  named  horse.  Still,  O'Blenis  was  the  favorite 
with  the  multitude,  and  much  money  was  laid. 

The  attendance  of  people  was  so  large,  that  the  like  had 
never  been  witnessed  at  a  trotting-race.  No  such  assem- 
blage had  come  together  on  the  Union  Course  since  the 
famous  four-mile  race  between  Fashion  and  Peytona.  I 
should  think  there  were  15,000  people  present,  and  the 
whole  inside  circle  of  the  course  seemed  to  be  filled  with 
vehicles.  There  was  great  excitement ;  and  it  was  not  with- 
out a  little  trouble  and  a  good  deal  of  patience  that  we  got 
the  ^stretch  clear,  when  we  had  hitched  up  our  horses  and 
began  to  jog  them  up  and  down.  At  length  we  were  called 
up,  and  at  the  first  or  second  time  of  scoring  got  the  word 
to  a  handsome  start.  I  had  the  pole  with  Kemble  Jackson, 
and  soon  took  the  lead.  The  first  mile  was  trotted  in  2m. 
41s.,  and  he  had  a  good  lead  at  the  end  of  it,  and  O'Blenis 
second.  I  found  him  going  so  well,  and  getting  away  with 
the  weight  so  easily,  that  I  was  quite  willing  to  have  O'Blenis 
force  the  pace,  which  he  now  did.  The  second  mile  was 
done  in  2m.  39^-s. ;  and,  during  the  whole  of  it,  everybody 
was  on  the  lookout  to  see  Kemble  Jackson  break.  But  so 
far  he  gave  no  indications  of  a  break  to  mo,  and  led  by  the 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.        .     207 

stand  at  the  end  of  this  mile  as  handsomely  as  before.  The 
third  mile  was  done  in  2m.  42-|s..  making  the  total  of  the 
heat  8m.  03s. ;  and  Kemble  was  first  at  the  outcome.  He 
had  not  been  headed  in  the  heat,  and  won  with  lengths  to 
spare.  O'Blenis  was  second,  Pet  third,  Tola  fourth,  Boston 
Girl  fifth,  and  Honest  John  sixth. 

The  excitement  was  now  redoubled.  The  great  body  of 
the  spectators  were  much  pleased  with  the  fine  style  in 
which  all  the  horses  had  trotted,  and  with  which  the  stallion 
had  won.  The  friends  and  backers  of  O'Blenis  and  of  the 
other  losers  of  the  heat  were  not  at  all  cast  down ;  but  those 
who  had  put  their  faith  in  Kemble  Jackson  were  much 
elated.  More  money  was  laid.  The  backers  of  O'Blenis 
would  not  hedge,  thinking  he  was  about  sure  to  win  the 
next  heat;  and  those  who  stood  upon  the  other  horses 
thought  so  too.  "  The  heats,"  said  they,  "  will  be  broken, 
and  we  shall  all  have  a  good  chance  to  come  out  best :  it's 
anybody's  race  ! "  The  truth  was,  that  they  all  looked  for 
Kemble  Jackson  to  get  up,  and  were  much  surprised  that 
he  had  not  done  so  "  the  first  time  of  asking ; "  that  is,  in 
the  heat  he  had  won.  Everybody  knew  that  this  trick  of 
his  had  lost  him  his  races  prior  to  my  getting  him,  and  they 
concluded  that  he  had  not  altogether  forgotten  to  practise 
it  in  so  short  a  time. 

So  now  we  came  up  for  the  second  heat,  and  got  the  word 
for  the  start.  lola  and  Pet  had  the  best  of  it ;  and  Brooks 
and  Harry  Jones  bulged  them  off  in  the  lead  at  such  a  rate 
that  I  was  forced  to  let  them  take  the  pole  on  the  turn,  for 
fear  that  the  stallion,  not  being  settled,  might  get  up  in  a 
great  rush  at  that  moment.  But,  when  we  got  in  the  straight 
work  of  the  backstretch,  I  found  that  he  was  well  down  to 
his  work,  and  felt  that  I  might  safely  send  him  along. 
Doing  so,  I  passed  first  one  and  then  the  other,  and  came 
on  the  home-stretch  with  a  clear  lead.  The  first  mile  was 
done  in  2m.  41s.,  and  Kemble  Jackson  in  the  lead.  O'Blenis 
now  came  at  me ;  and/  not  being  in  the  mind  to  resign  the 


208  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

pole  again,  I  called  upon  Kemble,  and  trotted  the  second 
mile  in  2m.  39s.  The  third  mile  was  an  easy  one  for  the 
stallion.  He  did  it  in  2m.  44£s.,  and  so  won  the  heat  with 
ease  in  8m.  04f  s.  Kemhle  never  was  headed  but  once  in 
the  race,  and  that  was  by  lola  and  Pet  when  they  got  the 
best  of  the  last  start.  He  made  no  break  throughout ;  and 
he  was  such  a  capital  horse  that  day,  that  I  know  I  could 
have  beat  eight  minutes  with  him  in  both  heats,  if  it  had 
been  necessary  for  me  to  do  so.  I  never  touched  him  with 
the  whip,  nor  spoke  to  him ;  and  he  trotted  away  as  lively 
with  the  great  weight  as  if  he  had  been  going  only  in  a 
sulky.  Everybody  was  satisfied,  and  everybody  but  the 
heavy  losers  pleased.  Even  the  latter  professed  no  regret 
for  the  result ;  and  yet  more  money  had  changed  hands  than 
was  ever  laid  on  any  other  trot.  Kemble  Jackson  had  done 
his  work  so  well,  and  had  won  it  in  such  grand,  command- 
ing style,  that  those  who  laid  and  lost  against  him,  in  com- 
mon with  the  great  body  of  the  people,  loudly  proclaimed 
their  delight  at  having  been  present  to  see  such  a  perform- 
ance. The  owners  and  trainers  of  the  other  horses  were 
also  well  satisfied;  for,  though  beaten,  O'Blenis,  Boston 
Girl,  Pet,  lola,  and  Honest  John  had  done  well.  They 
came  in  at  the  end  of  the  second  heat  in  the  order  named ; 
and  though  neither  of  them  won,  they  all  beat  their  trials. 
The  fact  was,  that  Kemble  Jackson  had  come  out  in  such 
an  extraordinary  manner  as  to  upset  all  outside  calculations, 
and  set  at  defiance  all  speculations  drawn  from  his  previous 
performances.  He  proved  himself  a  stallion  that  day  en- 
tirely worthy  of  his  sire,  the  renowned  Andrew  Jackson ; 
and  I  think  it  was  a  misfortune  that  he  lived  but  a  very 
short  time  after  the  race.  A  few  days  subsequent  to  the 
trot,  he  left  my  stable  for  the  Bed  House,  Harlem,  where 
he  stood  to  cover ;  and  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  weeks 
he  died  there  of  rupture. 

One  of  the  best  weight-pullers  that  I  have  ever  known  is 
Mr.  Bonner's  chestnut  mare  Lady  Palmer ;  and  his  gray 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  209 

inare  Peerless  is  just  about  as  good.  In  a  public  trial,  there 
being  about  two  hundred  people  present,  Sim.  Hoagland  and 
I  drove  them  two  miles,  wagons  and  drivers  3111bs.  Palmer 
won  it  in  the  amazing  time  of  4m.  59s.,  but  I  was  close  to 
her  at  the  finish  with  Peerless.  Palmer  is  one  of  the  ex- 
ceptions to  the  rule,  that  long-striding  horses  are  not  good 
to  pull  great  weights.  She  is  a  very  long  strider ;  and  no 
one  would  take  her  to  be  the  weight-puller  she  is,  until  he 
had  experience  of  her  wonderful  power  in  that  regard.  In 
everything  except  her  stride,  however,  she  fills  my  notion 
of  what  a  fast  weight-puller  should  be.  She  is  medium  in 
size,  about  fifteen  two  inches ;  in  nothing  bulky,  but  with 
good  substance,  and  when  in  condition  seems  made  of  wire 
and  whalebone.  But  her  long  stroke  is  unfavorable  to  the 
pulling  of  great  weight  fast ;  and  nothing  overcomes  the  dis- 
advantage of  it,  but  the  energy  with  which  she  shoves  her 
haunches  in,  her  very  strong  loin,  and  the  terrible  resolu- 
tion with  which  she  all  the  while  goes  up  to  the  bit.  Blood 
tells  here. 

Her  old  antagonist  Columbia,  afterwards  called  California 
Damsel,  was  another  famous  weight-puller.  It  was  a  great 
treat  to  see  these  capital  chestnut  mares  trot  their  races  on 
the  Union  Course ;  Palmer  driven  by  Hoagland,  and  Colum- 
bia by  the  late  Horace  Jones.  The  first  match  between 
them  was  in  November,  1860,  mile  heats,  three  in  five, 
wagons  and  drivers  3301bs.  Palmer  won  it  in  four  heats, 
of  which  Columbia  got  the  second.  The  time  was  2m.  33s., 
2m.  34Js.,  2rn.  35s.,  2m.  38s.  Three  days  afterwards  they 
went  again,  two-mile  heats,  same  weight.  Columbia  won 
in  three  heats,  Palmer  getting  the  second  of  them.  The 
time,  5m.  OSfs.,  5m.  07s.,  5m.  08js.  The  mares  Palmer, 
Peerless,  and  Columbia  were  as  good  weight-pullers  as  have 
been  known  since  Kemble  Jackson's  time.  But  in  comparing 
what  he  did  in  the  three-mile  race  against  O'Blenis,  Boston 
Girl,  Pet,  lola,  and  Honest  John,  with  their  speedier  and 
more  modern  performances,  it  must  be  remembered  that  he 

14 


210  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

took  along  more  weight  by  651bs.  than  Palmer  and  Colum- 
bia did  in  their  matches,  and  more  by  841bs.  than  Palmer 
and  Peerless  did  in  their  best  trial.  An  addition  like  either 
of  those  to  weight  already  high  makes  a  vast  difference. 
The  English  had  a  theory  once,  that  weight  was  of  no  mo- 
ment in  trotting ;  and  some  of  the  best  horses  they  ever  had, 
such  as  Archer  and  Ogden's  mare,  carried  about  IGSlbs.  in 
their  performances,  although  the  matches  were  made  catch- 
weight.  It  is  curious  that  they  should  have  cherished  such 
a  delusion  ;  for  in  reference  to  running-horses  they  appreci- 
ated the  effect  of  weight  closely  enough.  About  the  close 
of  the  last  century,  however,  some  of  the  more  reflective 
began  to  doubt  this  maxim ;  and  when  B-obson's  mare  Phe- 
nomena came  out,  she  being  a  very  easy-going-trotter  and 
no  puller,  they  got  a  boy  out  of  the  racing-stables  at  New- 
market, and  practised  him  in  the  riding  of  her.  They  soon 
found  out  the  difference  between  1681bs.  and  the  compara- 
tive trifle  that  the  boy  rode.  The  mare  won  her  two  matches, 
doing  seventeen  miles  in  fifty-six  minutes  in  the  first,  and 
seventeen  miles  in  fifty-three  minutes  in  the  second.  Her 
owner  then  offered  to  match  her  to  trot  nineteen  miles  and 
a  half  in  an  hour ;  but  the  backers  of  time  declared  they  had 
had  quite  enough  of  Phenomena  and  her  boy  from  New- 
market. 


XXV. 

The  Gray  Mare  Lady  Suffolk.  —Her  Pedigree.  —  Place  of  Breeding.  —  Sale 
to  David  Bryan.  —  Description  of  Lady  Suffolk.  —  Her  Performances. — 
More  than  Fifteen  Years  on  the  Course.  —  Trotted  138  Races,  and  won  88 
Times.  —  Suffolk  and  Sam  Patch.  —  Suffolk  and  Black  Hawk.  —  Suffolk 
and  the  Virginia  Mare.  —  Suffolk  and  Rattler.  —  Suffolk,  Dutchman,  and 
Rattler.  —  Suffolk  and  Awful.  —  Suffolk,  Napoleon,  Cato,  and  Ion.  — 
Suffolk,  Dutchman,  and  Rattler  again.  —  Suffolk  and  Dutchman. 

A  LMOST  everybody  in  this  country  has  heard  more  or 
^LJL.  less  of  Lady  Suffolk,  the  famous  old  gray  mare,  whose 
name  stood  once  at  the  head  of  the  record,  as  having  made 
the  fastest  time.  It  will  be  twenty-eight  years  next  month 
since  I  rode  her  in  the  first  race  she  ever  trotted.  And  as  I 
know  it  will  be  interesting  to  the  gentlemen  who  knew  her 
to  recall  some  of  her  exploits,  and  useful  to  those  of  a  later 
date  to  be  somewhat  acquainted  with  the  history  of  such  a 
celebrated  trotter,  I  shall  proceed  to  relate  about  all  I  know 
respecting  her.  Lady  Suffolk  was  bred  in  Suffolk  County 
on  this  island,  and  hence  her  name.  Her  dam  was  by  Plato,  a 
son  of  imported  Messenger ;  and  her  sire,  Engineer,  was  also 
by  Messenger :  so  she  was  closely  inbred  to  the  horse  from 
whom  the  best  strains  of  trotting-blood  originally  proceeded. 
The  dam  of  Lady  Suffolk  was  bred  by  Gen.  Floyd,  of 
Smithtown,  Long  Island.  His  son  sold  her  to  Mr.  Charles 
Little,  who  parted  with  her  to  Mr.  Blaydenburgh.  While 
she  was  owned  by  the  latter  gentleman  she  was  put  to 
Engineer,  a  good  running-horse  by  imported  Messenger, 
but  without  a  clear  pedigree  on  his  dam's  side. 

The  filly  foal  produced  by  the  Plato  mare  and  Engineer 
was  dropped  in  1833 ;  and  when, two  years  old  she  was  sold 

211 


212  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

to  David  Bryant,  a  man  who  knew  but  little  about  the 
management  of  trotting-horses  at  that  time,  and  was  always 
a  hard,  reckless  master  for  the  wonder  he  had  got  hold  of. 
When  young,  Lady  Suffolk  was  an  iron-gray,  rather  dark 
than  light ;  but  in  her  old  age  she  became  alrnosi  white. 
She  was,  in  my  judgment,  but  little,  if  any,  above  fifteen 
hands  and  an  inch  high.  It  has  been  stated  in  print,  and 
I  have  often  heard  it  said,  that  she  was  fifteen  two ;  but  I 
never  called  her  more  than  fifteen  one,  or  fifteen  one  and  a 
half  at  the  outside.  She  was  well  made,  —  long  in  the  body ; 
back  a  little  reached;  powerful  long  quarters;  hocks  let 
down  low;  short  cannon  bones,  and  long  fetlocks.  For 
many  years  her  ankles  were  straight,  pastern-joints  fine; 
but,  prior  to  the  close  of  her  long  and  very  extraordinary 
career,  she  was  a  little  knuckled.  She  had  good  shoulders, 
a  light  and  slim  but  yet  muscular  neck,  a  large,  long,  bony 
head,  and  big  ears.  To  look  at  her,  the  worst  point  about 
her  was  her  feet.  They  were  small  and  crimpy,  —  what  is 
called  mulish ;  but  they  were  sound  and  tough  in  texture. 
In  trotting,  she  went  with  her  head  low,  and  nose  thrust 
out.  Her  neck  was  very  straight.  I  have  seen  it  stated 
that  it  was  finely  arched,  but  it  is  all  a  mistake :  if  there 
was  any  deviation  from  the  straight,  it  inclined  more  to  the 
ewe-neck  than  to  an  arch. 

In  February,  1838,  being  then  five  years  old  in  reckon- 
ing, but  not  quite  so  much  actually,  Lady  Suffolk  made  her 
first  public  trot.  She  continued  on  the  turf  until  the  latter 
end  of  October,  1853,  a  period  of  more  than  fifteen  years ; 
during  which  time  she  met  almost  all  the  celebrated  horses 
of  the  day,  and  trotted  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight  races,  besides  receiving  three  forfeits.  As  they  were 
all  races  of  heats,  and  many  of  them  four  or  five  heats,  I 
estimate  that  she  took  the  word  from  the  judges  above  four 
hundred  times,  perhaps  nearer  five  hundred.  She  won 
eighty-eight  times,  besides  three  forfeits ;  and  the  amount 
she  earned  in  stakes  and  purses  was  no  less  than  $35,011. 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  213 

When  it  is  remembered,  in  addition  to  all  this,  that  the 
heats  in  her  races  were  as  often  two  and  three  mile  as  one, 
and  sometimes  four-mile  heats,  it  will  be  plain  to  everybody 
that  the  mare  had  inherited  in  great  perfection  the  hardy 
constitution,  unflinching  game,  and  enormous  stamina  with 
which  her  grandsire,  Messenger,  was  so  eminently  gifted. 
It  was  all  but  marvellous,  that,  until  she  was  more  than 
twenty  years  old,  the  gallant  gray  mare  stood  up  under  the 
system,  or  rather  want  of  system,  pursued  by  her  owner, 
and,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  always  answered  when  he 
called. 

The  Lady  began  in  a  modest  way.  She  was  not  one  of 
the  high-priced  and  precious  youngsters  whose  fame  is 
sounded  far  and  loud  before  they  have  had  saddle  or  harness 
on ;  but  being  at  a  trot  we  had  up  at  Babylon,  on  a  terribly 
cold  day  in  February,  1838,  Bryant  put  her  in  to  trot  mile 
heats,  under  saddle,  for  a  subscription  purse,  which  amounted 
to  the  munificent  sum  of  eleven  dollars.  I  was  there,  and 
he  came  to  me  to  ride  her,  to  which  I  readily  consented ; 
for  I  liked  the  looks  of  the  wiry  little  gray  mare,  and  knew 
that  she  could  trot  a  little.  The  horse  opposed  to  us  was  a 
bay  gelding  called  Sam  Patch,  so  named  after  his  owner, 
who  rode  him.  We  started,  and  the  Lady  won  the  first 
heat  in  3ni.  Ols. ;  Sam  got  the  second  in  3rn.  03s. :  but  the 
Lady  let  out  another  link  in  the  third  heat,  and  beat  him 
handsomely  in  3m.  OOs.  It  has  been  stated  that  the  best  time 
in  this  race  was  3m.  Ols ;  but  I  know  that  the  third  heat 
was  no  more  than  3m. 

As  the  spring  came  on,  Bryant  put  her  in  training  ;  that 
is,  he  fed  her,  and  gave  her  plenty  of  work ;  which,  in  fact, 
was  about  all  she  wanted  to  get  into  fair  condition  at  any  time. 
On  the  20th  of  June,  he  trotted  her  for  a  purse  on  the  Beacon 
Course,  New  Jersey,  two-mile  heats  in  harness.  The  other 
was  a  black  gelding  called  Black  Hawk,  that  Wm.  Whelan 
had.  Bryant  drove  the  mare  the  first  heat,  but  was  beat  in 
5m.  42s.,  and  then  came  for  me  to  drive.  I  consented,  but 


214  THE  TROTTING-UORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

had  no  confidence  that  she  could  win  it.  I  was  not  mis- 
taken ;  though  she  made  another  good  game  heat,  the  time 
of  which  was  5m.  42s.  again.  For  a  five-year-old  mare,  and 
one  that  had  been  raised  rather  on  the  pinching  than  the 
forcing  system,  this  was  a  fair  race ;  and  most  people  would 
have  given  her  a  short  holiday  after  it. 

But  Dave  Bryant  had  no  notion  of  letting  her  stand  still 
when  there  was  the  ghost  of  a  chance  to  make  a  few  dol- 
lars ;  and  two  days  afterwards  he  had  her  at  it  again,  two- 
mile  heats,  under  saddle.  This  time,  too,  it  was  against 
a  mare  that  had  come  on  from  Philadelphia  with  a  great 
reputation  and  a  host  of  hackers.  She  was  a  handsome 
chestnut,  and  called  then  the  Virginia  Mare.  Afterwards 
they  changed  her  name  to  Lady  Victory,  and  then  to  Kate 
Horn.  George  Woodruff  had  brought  her  on  from  Phila- 
delphia, having  tried  her  two  miles  before  he  came,  over 
the  Hunting-park  Course,  in  5m.  09s.  Many  gentlemen 
from  Philadelphia  had  come  to  the  Beacon  to  back  the 
Virginia  Mare ;  and  she  was  the  favorite  at  one  hundred  to 
twenty-five.  There  were  two  others  in  the  race  besides  the 
chestnut  and  Suffolk ;  and  the  chance  of  the  latter  was 
thought  so  ill  of,  that  Bryant  could  get  no  one  to  ride  her. 
In  this  emergency  he  swore  he  would  ride  her  himself,  and 
mounted.  George  Woodruff  was  to  give  the  Philadelphians 
a  signal  when  he  had  the  race  safe ;  but  the  gray  mare  was 
all  on  edge  that  day:  the  saddle-work  suited  her.  She 
went  ahead,  and  won  the  first  heat  in  5m.  15s. ;  and  George 
Woodruff  made  no  sign.  Still  the  confidence  of  the  friends 
of  the  Virginia  Mare  did  not  leave  her.  But  the  Lady  of 
Suffolk  won  again,  in  5m.  17s. ;  and  Uncle  George  Woodruff 
never  made  that  signal.  It  was  a  heavy  blow  to  the  Phila- 
delphia party,  and  a  wonderful  hoist  to  Bryant  and  the 
young  gray  mare.  This  was  on  the  22d  of  June. 

On  the  4th  of  July  he  had  her  out  again,  at  the  same 
Beacon  Course,  to  trot  two-mile  heats  under  saddle,  against 
no  less  a  horse  than  Rattler,  who  was  then  in  charge  of 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  215 

Peter  Whelan.  It  resulted  in  a  race  of  tliree  heats.  The 
lady  won  the  first  in  5m.  29s.  The  second  heat  was  a  very 
severe  one.  The  last  mile  they  were  head-and-head  nearly 
all  the  way ;  and,  after  a  desperate  struggle  home,  Battler 
just  won  by  eight  inches.  Nothing  hut  the  fine  riding  of 
Peter  Whelan,  who  was  a  splendid  horseman,  enabled  Bat- 
tler to  snatch  this  heat  from  Lady  Suffolk.  Bryant  now 
came  to  me,  and  asked  me  to  ride.  I  told  him,  that,  in  my 
opinion,  the  mare  could  not  win ;  and  that  if  I  found  it  was 
the  case  I  should  not  punish  her.  The  truth  was,  that  she 
had  had  a  little  too  much  of  it  for  a  five-year-old ;  and,  with 
all  her  wonderful  toughness  and  elasticity  of  constitution, 
she  had  gone  off  since  she  won  in  5.15,  5.17.  In  the  third 
heat  with  Battler  I  found  she  could  not  win,  and  took  her 
in  hand  on  the  second  mile.  He  won  it  in  5.40,  and  she 
was  distanced.  We  had  another  race  that  day,  in  which  I 
drove  Dutchman ;  but  that  is  nothing  to  the  purpose  here, 
except  to  say  that  Lady  Suffolk's  next  race  was  with  him 
and  Battler.  It  was  at  the  Beacon,  on  the  1st  of  October, 
two-mile  heats,  under  saddle.  The  Lady  was  distanced  the 
first  heat  in  5.17. 

On  the  8th,  Bryant  had  her  out  again  to  trot  two-mile 
heats  in  harness,  against  Awful,  also  at  the  Beacon.  Aw- 
ful beat  her  in  5.28,  5.21J.  On  the  15th,  at  the  same 
place,  the  Lady  again  trotted  two-mile  heats  in  harness, 
this  time  against  Napoleon,  a  big  bay  gelding,  Cato,  a 
brown  gelding,  and  Ion.  Napoleon  won  in  three  heats,  — 
5.42£,  5.38,  5.39.  Cato  won  the  second  heat.  Bryant 
drove  Lady  Suffolk  in  the  first  and  second  heats ;  and  then, 
according  to  his  usual  practice  when  there  was  no  chance 
left,  he  came  and  invited  me  to  drive.  The  track  was  heavy 
in  this  race.  This  was  on  the  15th.  Two  days  afterwards, 
Bryant  had  her  in  Philadelphia,  and  then  and  there  trotted 
her  two-mile  heats  under  saddle,  on  the  Hunting-park 
Course,  against  Polly  Smallfry  and  Madame  Royal.  The 
gray  mare  won  it  in  two  heats,  in  5.18,  5.26.  The  next 


216  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

day,  the  18th,  Lady  Suffolk  was  trotted  again ;  this  time 
three-mile  heats  under  saddle,  and  against  Rattler,  Lady 
Victory  (formerly  the  Virginia  Mare),  and  Ben  Franklin. 
Eattler  won  in  8.11,  8.17.  The  track  was  heavy. 

On  the  22d,  Bryant  had  Lady  Suffolk  back  at  the  Beacon 
again,  where  he  trotted  her  two-mile  heats  under  saddle, 
against  Dutchman  and  Rattler.  As  I  was  sick,  Peter 
Whelan  rode  Dutchman,  and  William  Whelan  at  this  time 
had  Rattler.  Bryant  rode  the  Lady.  Dutchman  won  in 
5.38,  5.52.  The  track  was  heavy.  Lady  Suffolk's  owner 
was  not  yet  content  with  her  season's  work.  On  the  24th, 
he  trotted  her  mile-heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  against 
Dutchman.  The  mare  was  unsteady,  and  no  wonder.  She 
broke  up  several  times ;  and  I  distanced  her  the  first  heat 
in  2m.  49s. 

Thus  late  in  season,  within  a  month  and  a  day  of 
Christmas,  the  work  of  the  young  gray  mare  for  her  first 
season  of  fifteen  on  the  turf  had  come  to  a  close.  She  had 
trotted  eleven  races,  —  two  of  mile  heats,  eight  of  two-mile 
heats,  and  one  of  three-mile  heats.  For  a  five-year  old 
mare,  this  was  an  immense  amount  of  fast  work ;  and  it  is 
to  be  remembered  that  her  opponents  were  not  middling 
horses,  but  some  of  the  best  that  ever  appeared  on  the  trot- 
ting-turf.  Dutchman,  Rattler,  Awful,  &c.,  were  the  com- 
petitors of  this  young  mare  in  her  first  season.  But 
although  Lady  Suffolk  received  no  apparent  injury  from 
the  number  of  her  arduous  exploits,  the  example  set  by 
Bryant  in  trotting  her  so  much  is  not  one  to  be  followed. 
Indeed,  I  recommend  that  it  shall  be  carefully  avoided ;  for 
the  mare's  escape  from  evils  which  might  reasonably  have 
been  expected  to  follow  was  purely  exceptional.  Such  an 
amount  of  trotting  with  elder  horses  of  first-rate  powers 
would  ruin  an  ordinary  five-year-old ;  and  it  was  only 
because  Lady  Suffolk  was  "  a  horse  above  ordinances,"  like 
English  Eclipse,  that  she  was  enabled  to  stand  it  with  ap- 
parent impunity.  Therefore,  while  remembering  her  aston- 


THE  TROTTING-nORSE  OF  AMERICA.  217 

isliing  endurance  and  success,  let  us  avoid  tlie  great  risk 
which  Bryant  needlessly  incurred  of  prematurely  using  up 
one  of  the  best  animals  that  ever  took  hold  of  a  trotting- 
bit.  And  here,  too,  it  is  also  to  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the 
breeding  of  the  mare  must  have  been  such  as  to  produce  an 
enormous  amount  of  stamina,  and  capability  to  resist  wear 
and  tear  in  every  sense.  What,  then,  was  that  breeding  ? 
The  answer  is  simply,  that  she  was  at  least  three-fourths 
thoroughbred,  and  was  also  bred  in-and-in,  her  sire  and  the 
sire  of  her  dam  having  both  been  got  by  imported  Messen- 
ger. Let  not  these  things  be  lost  sight  of  as  I  continue 
her  history. 


XXVI. 

Regarding  Early  Maturity.  —  Lady  Suffolk  and  Apollo.  —  Lady  Suffolk  and 
Dutchman.  —  Suffolk  and  Cato.  —  Suffolk,  Lady  Victory,  and  Lafayette. 
—Suffolk,  Henry,  Celeste,  and  Cato.  —  Suffolk  and  Don  Juan.  —  Suffolk 
and  Ellen  Jewett.  —  Suffolk  and  Independence.  —  Suffolk  and  Dutch- 
man. —  Suffolk,  Celeste,  and  Napoleon.  —  Suffolk  against  Time.  —  Suf- 
folk against  Bonaparte.  —  Suffolk  and  Aaron  Burr. 


commencement  of  Lady  Suffolk's  history  interested 
_I_  those  who  remembered  her  performances  five-and- 
twenty  years  before,  and  revived  the  discussion  about  the 
forcing-system  and  early  maturity.  It  was  admitted  that 
David  Bryant  trotted  the  mare  too  much  in  her  first  season  ; 
but  some  still  held  that  early  maturity  was  a  good  thing,  and 
predicted  that  it  will  be  hereafter  one  of  the  chief  aims  of  the 
breeders.  I  am  somewhat  afraid  that  it  will  ;  and  being  con- 
vinced that  it  will  be  mischievous,  and  end  in  the  premature 
decay  of  many  good  horses,  I  have  protested  against  it. 
The  argument  is  this  :  if  a  colt  can  be  made  as  good  at 
three  years  old  as  another  will  be  at  five  or  six,  there  is  a 
great  saving  of  time  and  expense.  Now,  this  is  not  the 
proper  way  to  state  the  question  ;  for  a  colt  may  be  as  fast 
at  three  as  another  is  at  five  or  six,  and  still  be  an  inferior 
horse  ;  and  it  is  my  opinion  that  the  method  adopted  to  make 
him  at  three  equal  to  what  the  other  will  be  at  six  is  almost 
certain  to  render  him  an  inferior  animal  as  regards  duration. 
As  I  before  stated,  when  treating  of  this  matter,  early 
maturity  is  almost  always  followed  by  early  decay.  If  it 
could  be  had  without  that  result,  it  would  of  course  be  a 
good  thing  to  strive  for  ;  but  the  forcing  with  strong  feed 
when  young,  and  the  hard  work  of  training  and  trotting  at 

213 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  219 

an  early  age,  so  overdraws  upon  the  constitution,  and  makes 
sucli  inroads  upon  the  legs  while  they  are  supple  and  grow- 
ing, that  the  horse  is  often  practically  ruined  before  he  is  a 
horse  at  all.  For  those  who  raise  colts  to  sell,  it  is  a  profit- 
able system ;  it  being  for  their  interest  to  get  them  taken 
off  at  three,  rather  than  at  five  or  six  years  old  :  but  next 
to  nobody  wants  a  trotting-colt  merely  because  he  can  go 
very  fast  at  three  years  old.  If  there  is  not  a  good  chance 
for  future  improvement,  and  promise  of  reasonable  duration 
upon  the  turf  or  road,  the  colt  is  really  worth  but  little.  I 
am  satisfied  that  this  improvement  and  duration  are  not 
half  as  likely  to  follow  in  the  case  of  one  who  has  been 
forced  by  high  feed  and  trained  early,  as  in  that  of  one  who 
has  been  treated  more  according  to  the  order  of  nature. 

Expedition  in  such  matter  is  commonly  compensated  for 
at  the  expense  of  the  purchaser.  I  can  remember  when  it 
took  three  times  as  long  to  tan  a  hide  of  sole-leather  as  it 
does  now.  The  increased  rapidity  of  the  process  is  no  doubt 
a  gain  to  the  tanner,  and  also  to  the  manufacturing  shoe- 
maker ;  but  how  is  it  with  the  people  who  wear  out  the 
boots  ?  One  pair  of  the  old  sort  of  soles  would  wear  out 
four  of  those  tanned  by  the  new  process. 

In  this  work,  I  have  mentioned  many  famous  trotters  who 
improved  in  speed  and  bottom  until  they  were  eight  or  ten 
years  old,  and  lasted  until  they  were  fifteen,  —  some  of  them 
until  they  were  twenty.  None  of  these  horses  were  forced 
by  high  feeding  when  sucklings  and  yearlings,  and  none  of 
them  were  trained  at  two  and  three  years  of  age.  If  they 
had  been,  it  is  my  belief  that  their  careers  upon  the  turf 
and  road  would  have  been  ended  just  about  where  they 
began  under  the  system  which  then  prevailed.  What  has 
been  the  result  of  the  forcing  and  early  training  of  the 
thorough-bred  running  horse  ?  Simply  this :  he  is  faster 
than  he  ever  was  at  any  former  period,  but  his  decay  is  very 
early  and  very  rapid.  In  old  times,  when  they  never  started 
uotil  they  were  four  or  five  years  old,  the  great  racers  often 


220  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

ran  on  until  they  were  ten  or  twelve.  They  now  reach  a 
pitch  of  astonishing  speed  and  power  at  three  and  four  years 
old,  and  few  remain  in  active  service  on  the  turf  after  they 
are  six.  The  racing-trainers  do  not  deny  that  the  early 
maturity  and  training  of  the  colts  impair  the  durability  of 
the  race-horses ;  and  this  being  so,  I  deny  that  the  system 
ought  to  be  adopted  with  our  trotters.  To  follow  a  method 
for  obtaining  certain  results  at  three  years  old  at  the  ex- 
pense of  half  or  three-fourths  the  value  of  the  horse  when 
he  becomes  seven  or  eight,  is  just  like  the  conduct  of  the 
directors  of  joint-stock  companies  when  they  pay  dividends 
out  of  the  capital  stock. 

Lady  Suffolk's  second  year  upon  the  turf  (1839)  was  as 
arduous  as  her  first.  She  trotted  twelve  races,  —  one  of 
mile  heats,  two  of  mile  heats  three  in  five,  eight  of  two- 
mile  heats,  and  one  of  four-mile  heats.  Her  season  began 
on  the  26th  of  April,  when  she  trotted  two-mile  heats  under 
saddle  against  Apollo,  at  the  Beacon  Course,  New  Jersey. 
Apollo  was  a  blind  horse,  a  chestnut  gelding.  The  mare 
won  the  first  heat  in  5m.  21s. ;  and,  finding  the  blind  one 
had  no  chance,  I  drew  him.  On  the  27th  of  the  same 
month,  and  at  the  same  course,  Dutchman  and  Lady  Suffolk 
went  two-mile  heats  under  saddle.  I  beat  her  the  first 
heat  in  5m.  16s.,  and  in  the  second  led  all  the  way,  and  won 
as  I  pleased  in  5m.  9s.  At  the  first  turn  of  the  second  mile 
in  this  heat,  and  when  the  Lady  was  close  to  me,  I  just 
touched  Dutchman  with  the  spur ;  and  he  shot  away  from  it, 
twenty-five  yards  ahead  of  her,  like  an  arrow  from  a  bow. 
The  Lady  lay  by  all  May  and  June,  but  came  out  on  the 
3d  of  July,  feeling  very  fine,  to  trot  Cato  at  the  Beacon, 
two-mile  heats  under  saddles.  She  won  the  first  heat  in 
5m.  39s.,  and  he  was  then  drawn. 

Bryant  then  took  her  to  Philadelphia,  and  on  the  24th 
of  that  month  trotted  her  against .  George  Woodruff's  Lady 
Victory  and  Mr.  Duffy's  Lafayette.  The  latter  was  a  brown 
gelding,  about  fifteen  handst  hree  inches  high ;  and  he  was 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE   OF  AMERICA.  221 

a  good  horse.  It  was  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  and  a  very 
fine  race  ensued.  They  all  got  a  heat,  but  Lady  Victory 
won.  She  took  the  first,  Lafayette  the  second,  Suffolk  the 
third ;  and  in  the  fourth  "  Uncle  George  "  came  again  with 
Lady  Victory,  and  won.  The  time  was  5.28,  5.31,  5.32, 
5.42.  A  match  between  the  two  mares  grew  out  of  this 
race ;  and  the  next  day  they  trotted  it  over  again.  It  was 
a  near  thing,  but  Suffolk's  great  recuperative  powers  enabled 
her  to  stay  the  longest.  She  won  the  first  heat  in  5m.  38s. ; 
Lady  Victory  got  the  second  in  5m.  35s.  j  but  Suffolk  secured 
the  third  in  5m.  40s.  Here  were  seven  two-mile  heats  by 
these  mares  trotted  in  two  days,  and  still  Bryant  thought 
the  Long-Island  mare  had  not  had  enough.  He  went  off 
and  matched  her  to  trot  mile  heats  against  Lafayette  the 
next  day,  —  he  to  carry  two  in  a  buggy,  and  she  to  go  in 
harness.  The  buggy  weighed  1121bs. ;  Mr.  Duffy,  the 
driver,  1501bs. ;  and  his  friend  llllbs.  This  was  3731bs. 
Lafayette  beat  the  Lady  in  2m.  52s.  and  2m.  50s. ;  she 
being  stiff  and  sore  and  utterly  unfit  to  trot. 

She  had  a  rest  through  the  month  of  September,  and  on 
the  3d  of  October  came  out  on  the  Beacon  to  trot  two-mile 
heats  in  harness,  against  Henry,  Celeste,  and  Cato.  Henry 
was  a  handsome  chestnut  gelding  in  the  stable  of  Harry 
Jones.  Celeste  was  a  flea-bitten  gray  mare  in  mine.  Hen- 
ry won  the  first  heat  in  5m.  28s  j  Lady  Suffolk  took  the 
next  in  the  same  time,  and  the  third  in  5.26 ;  thus  winning 
the  race.  The  next  week  the  same  horses,  together  with 
Don  Juan,  trotted  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  on  the  Cen- 
treville.  Harry  won  this  in  5m.  20s.,  5m.  28s.  I  was 
second  with  Celeste,  and  Lady  Suffolk  was  distanced  in  the 
second  heat ;  but  this  was  caused  by  my  having  run  into 
her,  and  upset  her  sulky. 

On  the  23d  of  October  she  went  two-mile  heats  under 
saddle  against  Don  Juan  on  the  Beacon,  and  beat  him 
handily  in  5m.  14s.,  5m.  24s.  Bryant  now  took  her  to 
Boston;  and  at  the  Cambridge  Course,  on  the  15th  of 


222  THE  TROTTING-UOESE  OF  AMERICA. 

November,  trotted  her  four-mile  heats  under  saddle,  against 
Ellen  Jewett,  a  little  bay  mare.  The  gray  mare  took  the 
lead  in  each  heat,  and  was  never  headed.  She  won  in  llm. 
22s.,  llm.  34s.  That  very  same  day,  Bryant  actually  trotted 
her  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  against  Indepen- 
dence. The  latter  was  a  chestnut  gelding  and  a  good  horse. 
lie  had  not  great  speed  then ;  but  he  afterwards  came  here, 
and  got  to  be  very  fast.  He  beat  the  Lady  in  2m.  45|s., 
2m.  45s.,  2m.  47s.  Even  this  was  not  enough  for  Bryant. 
He  trotted  her  the  same  race  against  Independence  the 
next  day,  and  got  her  beat  again  as  he  deserved.  But  she 
won  two  heats  —  the  second  and  third  —  in  this  second  race. 
The  time  of  the  five  was  2m.  52s.,  2m.  53s.,  2m.  49s.,  2m. 
47s.,  2m.  50s.  That  ended  her  racing  for  the  year,  and  there 
is  no  need  to  recapitulate  her  performances. 

She  had  again  proved  herself  as  hard  as  steel  and  as  tough 
us  whalebone ;  and  Bryant  had  given  another  notable  speci- 
men or  two  of  his  reckless  and  foolhardy  way  of  carrying  on 
a  campaign.  At  Philadelphia  he  trotted  her  three  days  in 
succession.  On  the  first  of  them,  four  two-mile  heats ;  on 
the  second,  three  two-mile  heats ;  on  the  third,  mile  heats,  — 
all  in  harness.  Then  at  Boston  he  trots  her  four-mile  heats, 
and  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  on  the  same  day ; 
and  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  on  the  following 
day ;  and  in  this  last  there  were  five  heats. 

Lady  Suffolk  had  now  been  two  years  on  the  turf.  She 
commenced  in  1840  on  the  6th  of  May,  by  trotting  two-mile 
heats  under  saddle,  at  the  Hunting-park  Course,  Philadel- 
phia, against  Dutchman.  The  bay  horse  beat  her  in  two 
good  heats,  —  5m.  5s.,  5m.  6s.  Two  days  afterwards,  they 
trotted  three-mile  heats  under  saddle,  over  the  same  course ; 
and  Dutchman  was  again  victorious,  making  the  heats  in 
7m.  51s.  each.  It  was  rather  a  singular  circumstance  that 
they  should  have  been  just  alike  in  time.  In  less  than  a 
week  after  these  two  hard  losing  races,  Bryant  trotted  Lady 
Suffolk  on  the  Centreville  Course,  Long  Island,  against 


THE  TROTTING-UORSE  OF  AMERICA.  223 

Celeste  and  Napoleon,  two-mile  heats  in  harness.  Celeste 
was  the  gray  rnare  heretofore  mentioned  as  in  my  stable.  A 
race  of  three  heats  resulted ;  in  which  Napoleon  won  the  first, 
and  Lady  Suffolk  the  second  and  third.  But  Napoleon  was 
distanced  in  the  third  heat ;  so  my  mare  was  second  in  the 
race.  The  time  was  5in.  26s.,  5m.  33s.,  5m.  32s. 

On  the  llth  of  June,  Lady  Suffolk  trotted  a  mile  against 
time,  on  the  Stevens  Running  Course,  Hoboken.  The 
match  grew  out  of  a  remark  made  by  a  gentleman  in  con- 
versation, that  Bonaparte  was  the  only  horse  capable  of 
trotting  a  mile  over  that  course  in  less  that  2m.  40s.  So 
Lady  Suffolk  was  backed  to  beat  that  time.  The  track  was 
sandy  and  very  deep,  but  it  was  not  at  all  holding ;  and  the 
gray  mare  went  away  at  a  slashing  gait,  and  did  the  mile  in 
2rn.  32s.  Much  amazement  was  caused ;  but  I  cannot  see 
that  there  had  been  any  good  reason  for  the  belief  that  the 
course  was  so  very  slow  for  a  trotter  going  under  saddle.  If 
she  had  had  wheels  behind  her,  or  if  the  ground  had  been 
heavy  and  holding  as  well  as  deep,  it  would  have  been  dif- 
ferent. The  Lady  now  enjoyed  her  ease  until  the  30th  of 
June,  when  she  trotted  four-mile  heats  under  saddle,  against 
Bonaparte,  on  the  Centreville  Course.  This  Bonaparte  was 
a  chestnut  gelding,  sixteen  hands  high,  and  well  bred.  He 
had  been  worked  on  Mr.  Stevens's  running-track  at  Hoboken, 
and  was  thought  to  be  very  fast,  as  well  as  stout.  His  time 
over  that  course  was  such  that  they  thought  no  other  horse 
could  equal  it,  until  Lady  Suffolk  knocked  it  all  to  pieces. 
On  the  trotting-course,  Lady  Suffolk  beat  him  easily  enough, 
—  four-mile  heats.  In  the  first  of  them  I  rode  him,  and  the 
time  was  llm.  15s.  In  the  second  heat,  William  Whelan 
rode  him  ;  and  he  was  again  beaten  handily  in  llm.  58s. 

Lady  Suffolk  was  not  engaged  again  until  the  21st  Sep- 
tember, when  she  trotted  with  Aaron  Burr,  two-mile  heats,  on 
the  Beacon  Course.  Aaron  Burr  was  a  small  but  handsome 
and  well-bred  blood  bay  horse.  He  was  in  my  stable.  In 
this  race  he  won  the  first  heat ;  but  the  Lady  took  the  second 


224  THE  TROTTING-UORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

and  third  after  a  close  contest.  The  time  was  5m.  22s.,  5m. 
21s.,  5rn.  35s.  He  had  trotted  up  to  her  so  well  in  this  race 
that  I  was  still  of  opinion  that  he  could  beat  her ;  and  in 
consequence  they  were  matched  for  $2,000.  But  the  little 
horse  went  amiss,  and  paid  forfeit.  Still  the  Lady  was  kept 
busy.  On  the  24th  of  September,  she  was  trotted  two-mile 
heats  under  saddle,  against  Dutchman,  on  the  Beacon 
Course,  and  beat  him  in  4m.  59s.,  5m.  3|s.  A  match  was 
forthwith  made  for  one  thousand  dollars  a  side,  half-forfeit, 
that  she  could  beat  any  horse  that  could  be  produced  the 
next  day,  mile  heats  under  saddle.  The  Lady  was  on  hand 
on  the  morrow,  but  the  other  side  paid  forfeit.  The  time 
soon  came  when  she  had  to  pay. 

On  the  29th  of  that  month,  being  engaged  to  trot  with 
Dutchman  and  Washington  on  the  Beacon  Course,  she  was 
found  to  be  unable  to  start.  It  was  announced  that  she 
was  lame ;  but  certain  suspicious  people  would  not  believe  it, 
and  got  up  a  clamor.  In  order  to  satisfy  them,  the  mare 
was  led  out ;  and  lame,  indeed,  she  was.  She  could  hardly 
put  one  of  her  fore-feet  to  the  ground,  and  was  literally  on 
three  legs.  Very  few  believed  that  she  would  ever  come 
right ;  and  I  no  more  expected  to  see  her  trot  again  that 
year  than  I  expected  to  see  the  grass  grown  again  in  the 
winter.  Nevertheless,  after  a  rest  of  a  couple  of  months, 
she  appeared  as  sound  as  a  new  dollar,  to  trot  on  the  Beacon, 
a  match  of  two-mile  heats  under  saddle,  against  Don  Juan. 
The  race  was  set  for  the  last  day  of  November,  and  he 
paid  her  a  forfeit  of  $500.  The  work  she  did  that  year 
was  not  as  great  as  she  had  done  in  1838  and  1839,  but 
it  was  still  a  great  deal ;  and  luckily  she  went  into  winter 
quarters,  giving  every  promise  of  another  fine  campaign 
next  season. 


XXVII. 

Suffolk,  Confidence,  and  Washington.  —  Suffolk,  Confidence,  and  Aaron 
Burr.  —  Suffolk,  Awful,  and  Aaron  Bun*.  —  Suffolk  and  Eipton.  —  Suf- 
folk and  Oneida  Chief  the  Pacer.  —  Suffolk  and  Americus,  Five-mile 
Heats.  —  Suffolk,  Ripton,  and  Confidence.  —  Suffolk  and  Rifle  vs.  Hard- 
ware and  Apology.  —  Longtails  and  Docking.  —  Suffolk  and  Ripton.  — 
Suffolk,  Beppo,  and  Independence.  —  Suffolk,  Beppo,  and  Oneida  Chief. 
—  Suffolk,  Americus,  Ripton,  Washington,  and  Pizarro.  —  Suffolk,  J.  C. 
Calhoun,  and  Fairy  Queen. 

IN  1841,  Lady  Suffolk  commenced  her  campaign  at  the 
Centreville  Course  on  the  4th  of  May,  in  a  trot  of  two- 
mile  heats  in  harness,  against  Confidence  and  Washington. 
The  gray  mare  was  successful,  winning  in  two  heats  of  5m. 
lojs.  and  5m.  41s.  Washington  was  distanced.  In  her 
next  trot  on  the  Centreville,  she  went  against  Confidence 
and  Aaron  Burr,  mile  heats,  three  in  five.  Aaron  Burr 
was  in  my  stable.  He  was  a  bay  gelding,  about  fifteen 
hands  two  inches  high,  a  good  stepper  and  long  stayer. 
This  race  was  won  by  Confidence.  I  must  now  mention 
the  trots  at  the  Hunting-park  Course  against  Dutchman, 
and  the  trots  in  which  Lady  Suffolk  contended  with  Eip- 
ton ;  for,  though  they  have  been  mentioned  in  the  sketches 
given  heretofore  of  those  horses,  it  is  desirable  that  they 
should  be  recapitulated  here,  in  order  that,  having  Lady 
Suffolk's  performances  before  him  altogether,  the  reader 
may  be  better  enabled  to  comprehend  the  immense  stamina 
and  marvellous  bottom  of  the  gray  mare.  In  the  two-mile- 
heat  race  at  the  Hunting-park  Course,  Lady  Suffolk  beat 
Dutchman  in  three  heats,  —  5m.  2js.,  5m.  19£s.,  5m.  21s, 

15  225 


226  TUE   TROTTIXG-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

This  was  in  harness.  The  second,  of  three-mile  heats 
under  saddle,  she  also  won  in  7m.  40Js.,  7m.  56s. 

It  is  perfectly  clear  to  my  mind  that  Dutchman  was  a 
little  off  in  this  race ;  but  it  is  also  clear,  that  the  gray 
mare  was  then  very  good.  On  the  13th  of  June,  at  the 
Beacon  Course,  we  had  a  very  tough  race  of  three-mile 
heats  in  harness,  between  Lady  Suffolk,  Awful,  and  my 
horse  Aaron  Burr.  The  odds  was  on  the  Lady  at  the  start ; 
and  she  won  the  first  heat  in  8m.  2-|s.  Aaron  Burr  was 
second,  and  close  to  her.  The  next  heat  was  dead  between 
the  Lady  and  Aaron,  in  Sin.  3s.  The  betting  was  very 
lively  now,  she  being  the  favorite  at  odds.  But  the  third 
heat  I  won  with  Aaron  in  8m.  8s.,  and  was  satisfied  that  I 
had  my  Lady  beat.  She  was  second,  and  Awful  ruled  out 
for  not  winning  a  heat  in  three.  The  fourth  heat  was  won 
by  Aaron  Burr  in  8m.  16s. ;  and  there  was  much  lamenta- 
tion among  those  who  had  laid  odds  on  Lady  Suffolk. 
They  attributed  her  defeat  to  David  Bryant,  who  persisted 
in  driving  himself,  when  they  wanted  to  put  another  man 
in  his  place. 

On  the  5th  of  July,  at  the  Beacon,  the  Lady  beat  E-ipton, 
under  saddle,  mile  heats,  in  2m.  35s.,  2m.  37^s.  B-ipton 
carried  a  hundred  and  sixty-nine  pounds  instead  of  a  hun- 
dred and  forty-five  pounds;  for  I  was  then  twenty-four 
pounds  over  weight.  On  the  22d  of  the  same  month,  and 
at  the  same  course,  Lady  Suffolk  beat  Awful  two-mile  heats 
in  harness,  in  three  heats.  He  won  the  first  in  5m.  26£s., 
and  it  was  thought  he  had  got  her ;  but  the  Lady  went 
away,  and  won  the  second  heat  in  5m.  28s.,  and  then  the 
third  in  5rn.  24s. 

Five  days  after  that,  at  the  same  course,  the  gray  mare 
met  Oneida  Chief  the  pacer.  This  horse  was  in  my  stable  : 
and,  when  he  went  in  harness,  I  drove  him ;  but,  when  it 
was  under  saddle,  I  did  not  ride  him.  He  was  a  light  chest- 
nut, with  a  white  mane  and  tail,  and  was  a  stayer  as  well 
as  fast.  In  this  race  on  the  Beacon,  which  was  two-mile 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  227 

heats  under  saddle,  the  odds  were  a  hundred  to  sixty  on  the 
Chief  at  the  start.  But  the  rnare  went  away,  and  distanced 
him  in  5m.  5s. ;  which  time  had  never  then  been  beaten. 
Suffolk  had  now  done  a  good  deal  of  work,  and  had  been  on 
the  whole  very  successful.  Early  in  the  fall,  the  great 
match  of  the  year  came  off  on  the  Centreville  Course.  It 
was  five-mile  heats  to  wagons,  for  $5,500.  Bryant  drove 
his  mare,  and  George  Spicer  did  the  like  for  Americus. 
The  betting  at  the  start  was  a  hundred  to  seventy  on 
Americus.  It  was  the  greatest  betting-race  we  had  had 
for  some  time;  and  the  gelding  fully  justified  the  good 
opinion  of  those  who  laid  odds  on  him.  He  won  the  first 
heat  with  ease  in  13m.  54s. ;  the  fastest  mile  being  the 
fifth,  in  2m.  40Js.  It  was  now  "  a  horse  to  a  hen  "  on  the 
gelding.  In  the  second  heat  he  again  beat  her  easily  in 
13m.  58^3. ;  the  best  mile  being  the  fifth,  2m.  44s.  This 
closed  the  performances  of  1841 :  in  which  year  she  had 
trotted  two  races  of  mile  heats,  six  heats;  four  races  of 
two-mile  heats,  ten  heats;  two  races  of  three-mile  heats, 
six  heats  ;  and  one  race  of  five-mile  heats,  two  heats. 

In  1842  the  mare  began  at  the  Beacon,  on  the  7th  of 
May,  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  against  Hipton  and  Confi- 
dence. The  white-legged  gelding  wTon  it  in  5m.  lO^s.,  5m. 
12Js.  Three  days  afterwards  at  the  Centreville,  it  being 
the  day  that  Boston  and  Fashion  ran,  Suffolk  turned  the 
tables  on  Ripton.  It  was  the  "ladies7  day"  all  round  at 
both  courses,  and  the  mares  won.  Suffolk  beat  Riptoii  in 
5m.  10s.,  5m.  15s.  I  have  always  had  a  notion  that  Eipton 
was  defeated  that  day,  not  because  the  mare  was  too  good 
for  him,  but  by  reason  of  something  I  afterwards  learned, 
not  necessary  to  be  mentioned  here.  I  drove  the  little 
horse  myself.  At  the  Hunting-park  Course,  on  the  last 
day  of  that  month,  they  met  again,  two-mile  heats  in  har- 
ness ;  and  he  beat  her  in  three  heats,  she  winning  the  second. 
In  the  first,  as  I  have  related  in  giving  his  history,  Bipton 
made  the  best  two-mile  time  in  harness  then  on  record,  —  5m. 


228  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

7s.  It  had,  however,  been  surpassed  under  saddle  by  Suf- 
folk herself.  Two  days  afterwards,  Suffolk  and  Rifle  per- 
formed a  feat  which  long  stood  on  the  books  as  the  best  of 
its  kind.  They  went  in  double  harness  against  Hardware 
and  Apology,  two-mile  heats.  Hardware  was  a  big,  tall, 
bay  horse,  with  a  short  switch  tail.  Apology,  when  he 
came  to  me  in  1835,  was  one  of  the  handsomest  horses  I 
ever  saw. 

In  those  days  it  was  the  fashion  to  have  horses  pricked 
and  docked ;  and  so  he  was  deprived  of  the  long  tail  that  then 
adorned  him.  It  was  a  foolish  fashion.  The  long  tails  of 
the  present  day  not  only  make  the  horses  look  stylish,  but 
are  of  great  service  in  the  heats  of  summer  when  flies 
abound,  and,  do  what  you  will,  cannot  be  kept  off  the  sides 
and  flanks  of  our  animals,  except  by  the  switching  and 
lashing  of  their  own  tails.  Still,  I  am  not  in  favor  of  hav- 
ing them  trail  the  ground,  like  the  trains  of  ladies  in  their 
full  dresses  ;  for  then  they  are  an  inconvenience  and  unne- 
cessary bother  to  the  trotter  and  his  driver.  There  is  a 
moderation  in  the  matter  which  should  be  followed.  Some 
people  now-a-days  seem  only  to  look  for  a  tail,  — '-  a  long, 
big,  luxuriant  tail.  If  they  find  that,  they  seem  altogether 
careless  as  to  what  sort  of  a  horse  is  before  it.  Now,  I 
advise  buyers  and  breeders  to  look  the  horse  over  first,  and, 
if  they  find  him  suitable,  take  him,  no  matter  about  the 
tail.  Old  Abdallah,  rough,  raw-boned  and  uncouth  to  look 
at,  but  a  king  among  horses,  had  nothing  but  a  rat-tail. 

Now,  to  come  back  to  the  double-harness  trot  at  Hunting- 
park  Course,  from  which  I  have  been  thus  led  away :  Suf- 
folk and  Rifle  distanced  Hardware  and  Apology  the  first 
heat  in  5m.  19s.  It  was  justly  considered  a  very  great  per- 
formance ;  and,  though  we  have  seen  Mr.  Bonner  drive 
Palmer  and  the  Flatbush  Maid  two  miles  in  his  road-wagon 
in  5m.  l£s.,  we  must  remember  that  twenty-four  years  ago, 
when  Lady  Suffolk  and  Rifle  did  their  feat,  driving  in 
double  harness  was  not  much  followed,  and  they  had  next 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  229 

to  no  practice  with  each  other.  This  is  a  consideration  that 
must  not  be  lost  sight  of;  for,  though  it  is  possible  and  proba- 
ble that  the  Ledger  mares  might  have  beaten  Suffolk  and 
Rifle,  it  is  just  about  as  certain  to  my  mind  as  any  thing 
can  be,  that  hardly  any  other  team,  of  those  that  have  been 
since  prominent,  could  have  done  so. 

At  the  Eagle  Course,  Trenton,  Lady  Suffolk  was  beaten, 
two-mile  heats,  by  B/ipton,  in  5m.  6s.,  5m.  22s. ;  and,  on  the 
1st  of  August,  he  beat  her  and  Confidence,  three-mile  heats 
in  harness,  in  8m.,  Tin.  56Js.  The  backers  of  Suffolk 
growled  lustily,  and  said,  that,  if  Byrant  had  let  George 
Spicer  drive,  she  could  not  have  lost  it.  The  reason  given 
was  that  she  had  made  better  time  some  other  day ;  but 
this  was  fallacious  reasoning.  There  never  was  a  horse  yet, 
and  there  never  will  be,  in  my  opinion,  who,  being  capable 
of  a  really  great  thing,  can  be  relied  upon  to  do  it  all  the 
time.  Therefore  it  is  the  height  of  foolishness  to  expect 
that  a  trotter  will  always  go  up  to  the  best  mark  he  has 
made,  unless  he  is  a  young  and  constantly  improving  horse. 
In  order  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  great  feat,  there  was 
probably  a  combination  of  favorable  circumstances.  Weath- 
er, track,  driver  or  rider,  and  ability  of  opponents,  were  all 
happily  in  a  concatenation  for  speed ;  and,  in  addition  to  and 
above  all  this,  the  horse  was  right  in  tune,  keyed  up  to  the 
finest  pitch.  Now,  these  things  may  all  fall  in  and  combine 
again ;  but  it  is  perfect  nonsense  to  expect  that  they  are 
going  to  do  so  every  day  the  horse  trots  in  public.  Yet  a 
great  many  do  so  expect ;  and,  when  the  race  is  over,  these 
are  the  ones  who  fall  to  cursing  the  driver  or  owner,  and 
blaming  and  underrating  the  horse,  when  there  is  in  truth 
nothing  blamable  but  their  own  extravagant  expectations. 
It  is  true  that  Bryant  would  drive,  and  that  Spicer  could 
drive  better ;  but  I  do  not  admit,  that,  had  Spicer  been 
behind  the  mare,  she  could  have  beaten  Eipton  and  myself. 
Lady  Suffolk  after  that  beat  Independence,  two-mile  heats 
in  harness.  He  was  a  long-tailed,  chestnut  horse,  about 


230  THE  TROTT1NG-UORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

fifteen  hands  two  inches  high.  In  this  trot  he  was  out  of 
condition,  and  was  distanced  the  first  heat  in  5in.  37s. 

In  1843,  Lady  Suffolk,  Beppo,  and  Independence  went 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  under  saddle,  on  the  Beacon  Course. 
This  race  was  on  the  4th  of  July.  It  is  to  be  remembered 
that  it  was  catch-weight,  and  that  she  carried  1431bs.,  which 
was  two  pounds  less  than  required  by  the  rule.  The  Lady 
was  ridden  by  Albert  Conkling.  Beppo  was  a  little  chestnut 
gelding,  with  a  high  head,  short  switch  tail,  and  very  gay 
and  gallant  style  of  trotting.  He  belonged  to  Mr.  James 
Valentine,  and  was  very  fast.  As  early  as  1836,  this  little 
horse,  in  a  trial  at  the  Eagle  Course,  Trenton,  two  days 
before  he  went  a  race,  trotted  half  a  mile  in  one  minute  and 
nine  seconds.  George  Youngs  rode  him  on  this  trial,  and 
also  in  the  race  with  Suffolk  and  Independence.  There 
were  five  heats  of  it.  The  Lady  won  the  first  in  2m.  2S-|s. 
The  second  was  dead  between  her  and  Beppo  in  2m.  28s. 
The  third,  Independence  won  in  the  same  time ;  and  the  Lady 
took  the  fourth  and  fifth  in  2m.  29s.  and  2m.  32s.  Inde- 
pendence was  ridden  in  this  race  by  Lewis  Rogers,  formerly 
of  the  Red  House,  New  York.  On  the  12th  of  the  same 
month,  and  at  the  same  course,  there  was  a  race  between 
trotters  under  saddle,  catch-weight,  and  Oneida  Chief  pacer, 
in  harness.  Suffolk  carried  1431bs.  as  before,  and  Beppo 
13olbs.  It  was  here  that  the  Lady  made  the  time  which 
stood  at' the  head  of  the  record  for  ten  years  (when  Tacony 
beat  it)  ;  and  here  also  it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  weight  she 
carried  was  two  pounds  under  the  rule.  She  won  in  three 
straight  heats  in  2m.  26£s.,  2m.  27s.,  and  2m.  27s.  It  has 
often  been  said  that  in  this  race  she  was  just  off  grass ;  but 
this  is  a  mistake.  She  had  gone  a  race  eight  days  before,  as 
I  have  shown,  and  was  well  enough  seasoned  for  mile  heats 
under  saddle  when  she  made  the  fast  time. 

On  the  19th  of  July,  she  met  Beppo  again  under  saddle, 
and  beat  him  in  2m.  30  Js.,  2m.  42£s.,  2m.  28s.  On  the 
15th  of  August,  she  went  three-mile  heats  under  saddle 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  231 

against  the  pacer  Oneida  Chief,  who  beat  her  in  7m.  44s. 
and  7m.  52s.  The  mare  was  a  little  off,  and  Bryant  was 
badly  blamed  again ;  but  I  am  unable  to  see  the  justice  of 
it.  In  September  they  went  again  mile  heats,  three  in  five  ; 
she  under  saddle,  and  the  Chief  in  harness.  As  usual,  I 
drove  the  horse.  The  mare  won -that  day  in  three  straight 
heats ;  and  it  is  a  singular  circumstance  that  the  pacer  pulled 
a  shoe  off  in  each  heat.  The  time  was  2m.  29s.,  2m.  30s., 
2m.  2Si-s.  Suffolk  then  beat  Confidence  in  harness  in  2m. 
38s.,  2m.  39s.,  and  2m.  41s.  At  the  Kendall  Course,  Balti- 
more, Oneida  Chief  beat  her  three  miles  under  saddle,  in 
7na.  48s. ;  and  he  beat  her  and  Dutchman,  three  mile  heats 
in  harness,  in  three  heats.  The  pacer  won  the  first  in  7m. 
59s.,  Lady  Suffolk  got  the  second  in  8m.  15s.,  and  the  Chief 
the  third  in  Sin.  Is.  It  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing,  that 
the  mare  was  not  successful  at  long  distances  that  year ;  and, 
if  we  should  look  no  further,  we  might  be  led  to  conclude, 
that,  though  she  had  gained  in  speed,  she  had  weakened  in 
bottom.  In  1844,  Lady  Suffolk  began  with  long  heats,  and 
was  successful. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  at  the  Beacon  Course,  she  beat 
Americus,  Ripton,  Washington,  and  Pizarro,  two-mile  heats 
in  harness,  in  three  heats,  5m.  17s.,  5in.  19s.,  5m.  18s.  At 
Centre ville,  on  the  6th  of  June,  she  won  again  at  three-mile 
heats  in  harness,  beating  Columbus  in  7m.  51s.  and  8m.  2s. 
Then  she  went  three-mile  heats  on  the  Beacon  against 
Americus  and  Columbus.  Americus  won  in  8m.  53|s.,  8ni. 
Is. ;  and  Columbus  was  distanced.  The  inare  beat  Duchess 
and  Washington',  over  the  Beacon  Course,  in  the  mud,  in 
four  heats.  Washington  won  the  first  in  2m.  38s.  Lady 
Suffolk  won  the  other  three  in  2m.  33|s.,  2m.  34s.,  2m.  37s. 
In  October,  Lady  Suffolk  went  mile  heats,  three  in  five, 
against  J.  C.  Calhoun  and  Fairy  Queen,  two  pacers.  They 
had  five  heats  of  it.  Calhoun  won  the  first  and  second  in 
2m.  29s.,  2m.  31s.  The  trotting-mare  took  the  other  three 
in  2rn.  28s.,  2m.  29s.,  2m.  30s.  That  concluded  her  per- 


232  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

formances  in  1844.  We  shall  find,  that,  next  year,  she  and 
Americus  went  at  it  in  downright  earnest,  and  trotted  some 
desperate  races  of  long  heats.  They  trotted  five  times, 
and  Lady  Suffolk  won  three  of  the  five  races ;  hut  particu- 
lar mention  of  these  I  must  postpone  until  the  next  chapter. 
Americus  and  Lady  Suffolk  were  very  close  together  as 
trotters.  Both  were  fast,  and  both  were  stout  enough  to 
go  long  heats  and  repeat  them  often. 


xxvra. 

Suffolk,  Brown  Columbus,  and  Americus.  —  More  Races  with  Americus.  — 
Suffolk  and  Duchess.  —  Suffolk  and  Moscow.  —  Suffolk,  Moscow,  and 
Americus.  —  Suffolk  and  James  K.  Polk  the  pacer.  —  Suffolk  and  Hec- 
tor. —  Suffolk  at  Saratoga.  —  Suffolk  and  Roanoke  the  pacer.  —  Suffolk 
and  Lady  Sutton.  —  Suffolk  and  Ripton,  between  Christmas  Day  and 
New  Year's.  —  Suffolk,  Lady  Sutton,  and  Lady  Moscow.  —  Moscow's 
son,  Privateer.— Suffolk,  Sutton,  and  Americus.  —  Suffolk  and  James 
K.  Polk.  —  Suffolk  lamed  at  Saratoga. 

I  HAVE  now  brought  the  public  performances  of  Lady 
Suffolk  down  to  the  year  1845,  of  which  I  am  about 
to  speak.  Her  trotting  began  that  season  on  the  Union 
Coarse  on  the  28th  of  April,  when  she  went  two-mile  heats 
in  harness,  against  Brown  Columbus  and  Americus.  Brown 
Columbus  was  brought  here  by  Mr.  Underbill,  who  some- 
times drove  him.  In  this  race  with  Suffolk  and  Americus, 
I  drove  him  myself.  He  was  a  horse  about  fifteen  hands 
three  inches,  a  little  scant,  perhaps,  and  used  to  hit  his 
knees,  so  that  we  had  to  trot  him  in  boots.  I  am  very  often 
asked  what  is  the  remedy  when  a  horse  hits  himself  in 
action.  The  true  answer  is,  that,  if  it  is  habitual,  there  is 
no  remedy  but  to  put  boots  on.  Lady  Suffolk  won  the  race 
in  two  heats ;  in  both  of  which  Columbus  was  second  and 
Americus  third.  The  time  of  it  was  5m.  20s.,  5m.  29s.  A 
week  afterwards  Lady  Suffolk  went  two-mile  heats  in  har- 
ness, over  the  Centreville  Course,  against  Americus.  The 
race  was  a  good  one  of  three  heats ;  of  which  the  Lady  won 
the  first  and  third,  and  Americus  took  the  second.  The 
time  was  5m.  9s.,  5m.  16s.,  5m.  12s. 

On  the  19th  of  May,  Americus,  Lady  Suffolk,  and  Brown 

233 


234  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

Columbus  went  three-mile  heats  in  harness,  on  the  Union 
Course.  Americus  won  in  two  heats ;  Suffolk  was  second 
in  both,  and  Columbus  distanced  in  the  last  of  them.  The 
time  was  8m.,  8m.  5£s.  The  Lady  was  kept  hard  at  it,  as 
usual ;  and,  on  the  3d  of  June,  trotted  three-mile  heats  in 
harness,  over  the  Hunting-park  Course,  Philadelphia,  with 
Americus.  She  won  in  three  heats,  of  which  Americus  got 
the  first.  The  time  was  8m.  2s.,  8m.  7Js.,  8m.  17s. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  Lady  Suffolk  trotted  mile  heats, 
three  in  five  in  harness,  over  the  Beacon  Course,  with 
Duchess.  The  latter  was  a  brown  mare  about  fifteen  hands 
high.  She  had  a  habit  of  switching  her  tail  as  she  went ; 
and,  like  Flora  Temple  and  Lady  Clifton,  she  was  capital  at 
coming  in  on  the  home-stretch.  If  she  was  on  good  terms 
with  an  opponent  when  she  swung  into  the  straight  side,  it 
was  very  difficult  to  beat  her  out.  William  Whelan  drove 
her  in  this  race.  They  had  four  heats  of  it,  and  Duchess 
won ;  Suffolk  only  getting  the  third.  The  time  was  2m.  37s., 
2m.  35^s.,  2m.  35|s.,  2m.  39s.  Five  days  afterwards,  Lady 
Suffolk  went  against  Moscow,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in 
harness,  on  the  same  course.  Moscow  was  a  bay  gelding, 
with  white  legs  and  a  bald  face.  He  belonged  to  Gen. 
Dunham,  and  was  a  big  horse,  sixteen  hands  high,  raw- 
boned  and  up-headed.  He  was  a  hard  puller.  In  this  race, 
Hunt  drove  him.  The  Lady  won  in  five  heats,  the  third 
and  fourth  of  which  were  won  by  Moscow.  The  time  was 
2m.  34s.,  2m.  29  Js.,  2m.  30s.,  2m.  34s.,  2m.  36s.  On  the 
third  day  afterwards,  and  still  on  the  Beacon,  they  went 
the  same  race  again  ;  and  now  Moscow  beat  her  in  four  heats, 
of  which  she  got  the  second.  The  time  of  these  was  2m. 
33£s.,  2m.  31is.,  2m.  40s.,  2m.  35s. 

The  last  trot  of  Lady  Suffolk  in  that  year  was  at  the 
Hunting-park  Course,  Philadelphia,  where,  on  the  29th  of 
October,  she  went  three-mile  heats  in  harness  against  Ameri- 
cus, and  was  defeated  in  two  straight  heats.  The  time  was 
8m.  5s.,  7m.  59s.  She  had  been  successful  this  year,  on  the 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  235 

whole,  having  trotted  two  races  of  two-mile  heats,  both  of 
which  she  won ;  three  of  three-mile  heats,  one  of  which  she 
won ;  and  three  of  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  one  of  which 
she  won.  She  had  not  a  saddle  on  her  back  in  that  season 
in  any  public  performance,  nor  did  she  go  to  wagon. 

In  1846,  Suffolk  did  not  trot  a  great  number  of  races. 
She  began  late  in  the  year,  and  put  them  close  together,  all 
on  the  Union  Course.  Her  first  race  was  in  September,  the 
27th,  when  she  went  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness, 
against  Moscow  and  Americus,  and  won  in  three  straight 
heats.  Americus  was  second  in  the  first  heat,  but  Mos- 
cow beat  him  in  the  second  and  third.  The  time  was 
2m.  37|s.,  2rn.  37s.,  2m.  35s.  Ten  days  afterwards,  the 
same  horses  went  two-mile  heats  in  harness  ;  and  Americus 
won  it  in  two  straight  heats,  Lady  Suffolk  being  second  in 
both  of  them.  The  time  was  5m.  13s.,  5m.  11s.  The  next 
week  they  went  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness ;  and 
Suffolk  won  in  five  heats.  Americus  got  the  first  in  2m. 
34s. ;  Suffolk  took  the  second  in  2m.  34^s.,  and  the  third  in 
precisely  the  same  time.  The  fourth  was  a  dead  heat  be- 
tween Americus  and  Moscow  in  2m.  35s. ;  and  the  Lady 
came  along  in  the  fifth,  and  won  in  2m.  3S|s. 

In  just  a  week  from  that  dajr,  that  is,  on  the  22d  of  Oc- 
tober, the  Lady  met  James  K.  Polk  the  pacer,  at  three- 
mile  heats.  He  was  to  go  in  harness,  with  a  driver  to  weigh 
1401bs.,  which  was  five  pounds  under  weight ;  while  she  went 
under  saddle,  with  the  weight  of  1451bs.,  according  to  rule. 
This  pacer  was  ,a  hard  horse  to  beat  in  such  a  race.  He 
was  a  chestnut  gelding,  fifteen  hands  three  inches  high, 
handsome,  and  a  blood-like  horse,  with  a  long,  sweeping  tail. 
He  was  also  a  very  hard  puller.  Albert  Conklin  drove  him, 
and  won  in  two  straight  heats.  The  time  was  good,  —  7m. 
46s.,  7m.  46|s.  Time-bets  were  made  upon  the  Lady ;  and 
her  time  taken  in  the  first  heat  was  7m.  49s.  She  went  a, 
faster  mile  in  the  race  than  he  did ;  for  her  middle  mile  was 
2m.  30s.,  while  his  was  2m.  31  ^s.  This  mile  was  the  fastest 


286  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERIUA. 

in  the  race.  On  the  18th  of  November,  they  met  again 
at  two-mile  heats ;  Lady  Suffolk  in  harness,  the  pacer  to 
a  wagon.  He  heat  her  'again  in  two  heats  of  5m.  8|s., 
5m.  16s.  The  heats  were  hoth  close,  for  her  time  was  but 
half  a  second  more  in  each.  That  finished  her  trotting  in 
the  year.  It  was  a  light  one  for  her ;  but,  next  season, 
Bryant  made  her  do  enough  to  more  than  make  up. 

In  1847,  Lady  Suffolk's  first  trot  was  on  the  7th  of  June, 
when  she  went  against  Hector,  the  little  brown  horse  by 
Abdallah,  of  whom  I  have  heretofore  made  mention.  It 
was  upon  the  Union  Course,  and  the  race  three-mile  heats 
under  saddle  ;  the  Lady  staking  $500,  to  $300  on  the  part 
of  the  horse.  She  won  it  in  two  straight  heats,  —  7m.  56s., 
8m.  6^s.  Two  days  afterwards,  they  went  two-mile  heats 
under  saddle,  each  to  carry  1841bs.  She  won  again  in  two 
heats ;  the  time  being  5m.  16  Js.,  5m.  24s.  This  was  great 
weight  to  carry  on  a  horse's  back,  exceeding  the  heaviest 
welter  weights  in  the  English  steeple-chases,  which  seldom 
go  above  1681bs.  On  the  14th  of  July,  at  the  Centreville 
Course,  the  Lady  under  saddle  went  against  James  K. 
Polk  the  pacer  to  wagon,  two-mile  heats.  She  distanced 
him  the  first  heat  in  5m.  3s.  Back  again  at  the  Union,  on 
the  28th  of  the  same  month,  she  beat  Moscow,  mile  heats, 
three  in  five,  to  wagons  of  lOOlbs.  The  mare  won  it  in 
three  heats,  —  2m.  37^s.,  2m.  43|s.,  2m.  39£s.  Aug.  5, 
at  the  same  course,  she  went  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  to 
wagon,  against  Moscow  in  harness,  and  won  again  in  three 
straight  heats,  — 2m.  42js.,  2m.  33  Js.,  2m.  36s. 

Suffolk  now  took  atrip  to  Saratoga  with  the  other  fashion- 
ables, who  gladly  welcomed  at  the  Springs  the  coming  of 
the  Lady  in  White.  On  the  14th  of  August,  she  trotted 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  to  wagon  of  one  hundred  and  one 
pounds,  against  Moscow  in  harness,  and  beat  him  in  three 
straight  heats,  —  2m.  52s.,  2m.  54s.,  2m.  44s.  From  Sara- 
toga, Lady  Suffolk  returned  to  Centreville,  to  go  three-mile 
heats  against  the  chestnut  pacer  James  K.  Polk.  It  was  on 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  237 

the  13th  of  September.  She  went  under  saddle,  he  in  har- 
ness. He  beat  her  in  two  heats  of  7m.  44s.,  7m.  53s. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  at  the  same  course,  she  went 
against  Eoanoke  the  pacet,  two-mile  heats  in  harness.  This 
horse  was  a  roan,  about  fifteen  and  a  half  hands  high,  com- 
pactly made,  with  a  long  tail.  He  was  known  from  one 
end  of  the  country  to  the  other  almost.  At  that  time  Isaac 
Woodruff  had  him.  In  the  race  with  Suffolk,  he  won  the 
first  heat  in  5m.  13s.,  but  was  distanced  in  the  next  in  5m. 
12^s.  On  the  15th  of  that  month,  at  the  Union  Course, 
the  Lady  went  two-mile  heats  under  saddle,  against  James 
K.  Polk  the  pacer  to  wagon.  The  chestnut  beat  her  in 
two  heats  of  5m.  4is.,  5m.  9s.  On  the  28th,  the  Lady  of 
Suffolk  went  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  at  the  same  course, 
against  Lady  Sutton.  This  mare  was  a  brown,  low  but 
sturdy,  strong  and  game,  —  a  mare  of  very  fine  stamina  and 
endurance.  At  the  time  of  this  trot,  James  Whelpley  had 
her.  Suffolk  won  the  race  in  two  heats,  —  5m.  10s.,  5m. 
12s.  The  Lady  continued  her  doings  very  late  that  year; 
for  the  last  race  she  went  was  on  the  28th  of  December,  on 
the  Union  Course.  It  was  two-mile  heats  in  harness, 
against  Bipton.  The  Lady  won  in  two  heats,  —  5ni.  18|s., 
5m.  25|s.,  —  extraordinary  time,  it  must  be  admitted,  to 
make  after  Christmas,  and  before  New- Year's  Day.  It  will 
have  been  seen  that  the  Lady  was  very  successful  this  year : 
for  she  won  nine  races  out  of  eleven ;  and,  in  the  two  wherein 
she  was  beaten,  it  was  by  James  K.  Polk  the  pacer,  and 
not  by  any  trotter. 

In  the  following  year,  1848,  she  did  not  do  as  much  trot- 
ting, by  reason  of  having  met  with  an  accident  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  season.  At  the  time  when  this  befel  her,  she  had 
been  winning  races  hoof  over  hoof,  and,  but  for  the  hurt  she 
got,  would  very  likely  have  made  as  successful  a  season  of  it 
as  any  she  had  seen.  Lady  Suffolk  began  operations  that 
year  at  the  Centreville  Course  on  the  19th  of  May.  She 
went  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  with  Lady  Sutton 


238  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

and  Lady  Moscow.  The  latter  was  a  handsome  bay  mare, 
and  of  great  speed  and  bottom.  At  that  time  she  was 
owned  by  John  Cutler  of  Albany ;  but  afterwards  became 
the  property  of  my  neighbor  and  friend,  Sim  Hoagland  of 
East  New  York. 

In  1865  we  saw  the  last  of  her,  as  I  mentioned  at  the 
time.  But  Sim  has  one  of  her  colts  ;  and,  unless  I  am  mis- 
taken, he  is  a  real  good  one.  It  is  the  solid,  little  gray  horse 
Privateer,  by  Gray  Messenger.  I  have  had  my  eye  on  the 
little  fellow  out  of  the  window,  as  he  has  gone  by  my  door, 
on  many  a  morning  ;  and  I  predict  that  he  will  not  disgrace 
his  distinguished  parentage.  The  race  made  by  these  three 
ladies  was  a  remarkable  one  of  six  heats.  They  were  all 
three  stayers.  Lady  Sutton  won  the  first  heat ;  Suffolk  sec- 
ond in  2m.  33s. ;  and  the  second  heat  was  an  exact  repeti- 
tion as  to  positions  and  time.  The  third  heat  was  won  by 
Suffolk,  Lady  Moscow  being  second,  in  2m.  35s.  Suffolk 
also  won  the  fourth  heat,  and  Lady  Moscow  was  again  sec- 
ond. Time,  2m.  37s.  The  fifth  heat  was  won  by  Lady 
Moscow  in  2m.  38s.,  and  Suffolk  was  second ;  and  the  sixth 
heat  Sutton  won  in  2m.  36s.,  Suffolk  second.  John  Case 
drove  Lady  Moscow  in  that  race. 

On  the  7th  of  June,  at  the  same  course,  Lady  Suffolk, 
Lady  Sutton,  and  Americus  went  two-mile  heats  to  wagons ; 
and  another  exceedingly  good  and  obstinately  contested  race 
was  the  result.  Lady  Suffolk  won  the  first  heat  in  5m.  21s., 
Lady  Sutton  second.  The  second  heat  was  dead  between 
the  mares  in  5ni.  13s.  The  third  heat  was  also  dead  between 
the  mares ;  and  Americus  was  ruled  out  for  not  having  won 
a  heat  in  three,  or  made  a  dead  heat.  The  time  of  the 
second  dead  heat  was  5m.  17s.  The  ladies  went  off  again  ; 
and,  after  a  capital  race,  Lady  Suffolk  won  it  in  5m.  22s. 

The  Lady  of  Suffolk  now  had  a  let-up  until  the  4th  of 
July,  when  she  met  her  old  and  vigorous  opponent,  James 
K.  Polk,  two-mile  heats ;  but,  while  she  was  under  saddle, 
he  went  to  a  wagon  of  two  hundred  pounds.  It  was  at  the 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  239 

Centreville.  The  Lady  won  in  two  heats,  —  5m.  12s.,  5m. 
14s.  On  the  17th,  at  the  same  course,  Lady  Suffolk  and 
Lady  Sutton  went  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness.  Lady 
Suffolk  won  in  three  heats,  —  2m.  31s.,  2m.  32s.,  2m.  32. 
On  the  22d,  she  went  two-mile  heats  against  James  K.  Polk, 
—  she  in  harness,  the  pacer  to  a  wagon  weighing  2201bs. 
A  close,  desperate  race  of  four  heats  followed.  The  Lady 
won  the  first  heat  in  5m.  22s.  Then  the  pacer  took  a  heat 
in  5m.  16s.  The  third  heat  was  dead  in  5m.  17s. ;  and  the 
fourth  heat  the  Lady  won  in  5rn.  16s.  With  the  weight 
behind  him,  the  pacer,  although  defeated,  must  be  held  to 
have  been  an  uncommonly  good  horse  that  day. 

Having,  perhaps,  acquired  a  taste  for  the  fragrant  waters 
and  other  pleasant  follies  of  the  mountain  springs  last  year, 
Lady  Suffolk  again  left  the  briny  shores  of  her  native  island 
to  visit  Saratoga  in  the  height  of  summer-time.  It  was  not 
with  as  good  results  as  before ;  for  here  the  accident  befel 
which  compelled  Bryant  to  let  her  up  for  the  balance  of  the 
year.  The  trot  was  mile  heats  in  harness,  between  Lady 
Suffolk,  Lady  Moscow,  and  the  gelding  Moscow.  Lady 
Suffolk  won  the  first  heat,  but  pulled  up  lame  from  having 
sprained  her  ankle.  Nevertheless,  Bryant  started  her  for 
the  second  heat ;  but,  before  she  had  gone  far,  the  mare  was 
so  lame  that  her  driver  was  compelled  to  bring  her  to  a 
stand-still,  and  the  others  went  on  and  finished  the  race.  It 
was  won  by  the  bay  mare  in  four  heats.  Lady  Suffolk  trot- 
ted no  more  that  year ;  and  some  thought,  as  she  was  led 
limping  away  on  three  legs,  that  the  trotting-turf  had  seen 
the  last  of  her.  But  this  was  a  great  mistake.  The  injury 
was  not  permanent;  and  the  rest  gave  her  wonderfully 
strong  and  elastic  constitution  a  chance  to  restore  the  tone 
of  her  system.  She  recovered  to  such  a  purpose,  that,  the 
next  year,  she  trotted  no  fewer  than  twenty  races,  as  we 
shall  presently  see. 


XXIX. 

Suffolk  and  Lady  Moscow.  —  Suffolk,  Mac,  Gray  Eagle,  and  Gray  Trouble.  — 
Suffolk  and  Pelkam.  —  Suffolk,  Pelham,  and  Jack  Rossiter.  —  Lady  Suf- 
folk, Lady  Sutton,'and  Pelham.  —  Suffolk, Trustee,  and  Pelham.  —  Breeding 
of  Trustee.  —  Description  of  Trustee  —  Suffolk  and  Long-Island  Black 
Hawk.  —  Description  of  Black  Hawk.  —  Death  of  Trustee. 

~VYT~E  now  come  to  1849,  in  which  year,  as  I  remarked 
V  V  in  the  last  chapter,  the  gray  mare  came  out  fresh 
and  fine  after  her  let-up  by  reason  of  the  accident  at  Sara- 
toga, and  trotted  twenty  races.  This  arduous  season  began 
at  the  Union  Course  on  the  21st  of  May.  Lady  Suffolk  and 
Lady  Moscow  went  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness  ;  and 
the  bay  inare  won  in  four  heats.  Suffolk  took  the  first,  but 
lost  the  other  three.  The  time  was  exactly  the  same  in 
three  of  these  heats,  2rn.  34s.  The  second  heat  was  2m. 
30s.  The  Lady  now  went  down  East,  and  trotted  three 
races  in  Providence,  B.  I.  The  first  was  on  the  5th 
of  June,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  under  saddle.  She 
went  against  Mac,  Gray  Eagle,  and  Gray  Trouble,  all  under 
saddle.  Mac  was  a  very  famous  horse,  and  very  fast.  He 
was  a  brown  gelding,  fifteen  and  a  half  hands  high.  When 
he  first  came  to  my  notice,  he  was  owned  by  Mr.  Robert 
"Walton  of  Boston.  He  sold  him  to  Harry  Jones  of  New 
York,  who  in  turn  disposed  of  him  to  Mr.  John  McArdle  of 
Albany.  Gray  Eagle  was  a  gray  gelding,  fifteen  hands  high, 
and  one  of  the  most  beautiful  little  horses  ever  seen.  He 
was  well  broken,  and  a  splendid  driver,  looking  magnificent 
when  going.  Gray  Trouble  was  a  handsome  gray  gelding, 
fifteen  hands  three  inches  high,  of  elevated  style,  and  a  long 

240 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  241 

strider.  Gray  Eagle  belonged  to  ine.  William  Woodruff 
rode  him  in  this  race.  Bryant  rode  Lady  Suffolk,  and  was 
1561bs.  with  the  saddle ;  so  that  she  carried  eleven  pounds 
over  weight.  Mac  won  in  three  heats  j  and  Trouble  got  into 
trouble  in  the  first,  for  he  was  distanced  in  2m.  29  |s.  The 
time  of  second  and  third  heats  was  2m.  52s.,  2m.  31s. 
Suffolk  was  second  in  all  the  heats. 

On  the  next  day,  Lady  Suffolk,  Gray  Eagle,  and  Mac 
went  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness.  The  Lady  won 
in  three  heats,  and  Gray  Eagle  was  second  in  them.  Mac 
was  distanced  in  the  second  heat.  The  time  was  2m.  35  £s., 
2m.  34s.,  2m.  38 -|s.  Next  day,  Lady  Suffolk  and  Mac 
went  two-mile  heats  in  harness.  The  horse  acted  badly,  and 
was  distanced  the  first  heat  in  5in.  20.  On  the  14th  of 
June,  the  horses  that  had  been  at  Rhode  Island  were  at 
Boston  ;  and  there,  on  the  Cambridge  Course,  Lady  Suffolk 
made  the  fastest  heat  she  ever  trotted.  She  went  mile 
heats,  three  in  five,  under  saddle,  against  Mac  and  Gray 
Eagle.  The  first  heat  was  Mac's  in  2m.  31s.,  and  the  Lady 
second.  Gray  Eagle  was  then  drawn.  The  Lady  won  the 
second  heat  in  2m.  26.,  and  Mac  took  the  other  two  in  2m. 
27s.,  2m.  29s.  On  the  25th  of  June,  Suffolk  was  back  at 
the  Union  Course,  and  there  went  against  Pelham,  mile 
heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness.  Pelham  was  a  bay  gelding, 
owned  in  Boston  by  Mr.  Eobert  Walton.  The  horse  came 
originally  from  Maine.  He  was  sold  by  Mr.  Walton  to 
Mr.  Dennis  McReady,  and  afterwards  came  into  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Jacob  Sommerindyke.  He  was  a  fast  and  stylish 
little  horse,  standing  an  inch  under  fifteen  hands  high.  In 
this  race  he  was  distanced  in  the  second  heat.  The  time 
was  2m.  29Js.,  2m.  33Js. 

On  the  2d  of  July,  at  the  Centreville  Course,  Lady  Suffolk 
had  a  close  race  of  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  with 
Pelham  and  Jack  Kossiter.  The  latter  was  a  handsome 
bay  gelding,  called  little,  but  really  about  fifteen  hands  and 
an  inch  and  a  half  high.  He  was  in  the  hands  of  Qtig 

18 


242  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

Dimmock,  who  lived  when  a  boy  with  Mr.  Stevens  of  New 
Jersey,  and  used  to  ride  the  race-horse  Henry  at  exercise, 
after  he  bought  him.  He  used  to  exercise  him  on  the  sandy 
roads,  and,  I  am  informed,  says  he  believes  Henry  could 
then  trot  a  mile  in  three  minutes.  This  was  good  for  the 
horse  that  beat  Eclipse  a  four-mile  heat ;  and  it  is  interesting 
and  important  from  the  fact  that  Henry  got  the  dam  of 
American  Star,  whose  stock  all  trot  and  can  almost  all  stay. 
It  shows  that  the  trotting  faculty  was  inherent  in  the  blood 
of  Henry.  I  should  have  been  less  surprised  to  hear  that 
Eclipse  could  trot  a  mile  in  three  minutes ;  for  he  was  a 
grandson  of  Messenger,  being  out  of  his  daughter,  Miller's 
Damsel. 

In  this  race  at  the  Centreville,  there  were  five  heats.  The 
Lady  won  the  first  and  second  in  2m.  32s.,  2m.  32^s. ; 
Jack  Bossiter  second  in  the  first  heat,  and  last  in  the  second. 
The  third  and  fourth  heats,  Pelham  won  in  2m.  38s.,  2m. 
29^s.  The  fifth  heat  was  won  by  the  Lady  in  2m.  34£s., 
Pelham  second.  Back  now  to  the  Union,  where,  on  the  9th, 
Lady  Suffolk  went  agaiust  Mac,  mile  heats,  three  in  five, 
under  the  saddle,  and  was  beaten  in  four  heats.  She  won 
the  first  and  fastest  in  2m.  28s.  The  time  of  the  others  was 
2m.  30s.,  2m.  31s.,  3m.  30s.  On  the  10th  of  July,  the 
Lady  went  two-mile  heats  under  saddle,  against  Mac  and 
Jack  Rossiter.  Mac  won  in  two  heats ;  the  Lady  being  last 
in  the  first,  and  then  drawn.  The  time  was  5m.  9s.,  5m. 
18s.  On  the  3d  of  August,  at  the  Centreville  Course,  the 
Lady  and  Lady  Sutton  had  one  of  the  best,  longest,  and 
most  obstinate  struggles  that  there  is  on  record.  Pelham 
was  in  with  them.  It  was  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  har- 
ness. Isaac  Woodruff  drove  Lady  Sutton,  and  Harry  Jones 
Pelham.  Bryant  drove  Lady  Suffolk.  The  contest  may  be 
said  to  have  been  altogether  between  the  mares ;  for  Pelham 
was  last  in  the  first  and  second  heats,  and  distanced  in  the 
third.  The  first  and  second  heats  were  won  by  the  gray 
mare  in  2m.  29^s.,  2m.  31s.  The  thirc}  and  fourth  were 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  243 

secured  by  the  brown  mare,  in  2m.  80s.,  2in.  31|s.  The 
fifth  and  sixth  were  dead  heats,  2m.  32.,  2m.  31s. 

When  they  came  home  in  the  sixth  heat,  they  both  pre- 
ferred charges  of  foul  driving.  As  proof  that  Bryant  had 
fouled  him,  Isaac  pointed  to  one  of  his  wheels,  in  which  one 
spoke  was  broken  out  and  five  or  six  more  damaged.  Bryant, 
however,  maintained  that  Isaac  was  in  fault,  and  showed  a 
bruised  face.  The  judges  were  unable  to  decide  the  point 
between  them ;  and  so,  sending  out  patrol  judges,  they  started 
them  for  another  heat.  This  was  won  by  the  gray  mare  in 
2m.  38s.  On  the  28th  of  September,  the  mares  went  again 
in  the  same  way,  at  the  same  course,  and  Suffolk  won  in 
four  heats.  Lady  Sutton  won  the  first.  The  time  was  2m. 
32£s.,  2m.  33is.,  2m.  34s.,  2m.  36s.  On  the  8th  of  October,  still 
at  the  Centreville,  Lady  Suffolk  went  two-mile  heats  in  har- 
ness, against  Lady  Sutton  and  Pelham.  They  had  three  heats 
of  it,  and  the  brown  mare  won.  Pelham  got  the  first  heat, 
Sutton  second,  in  5m.  16s.  Lady  Sutton  won  the  second, 
and  Pelham  was  second,  in  5m.  17s.  In  the  third,  Pelham 
was  distanced,  and  Lady  Suffolk  was  second,  in  5m.  20s. 

The  next  race  was  one  of  three-mile  heats  in  harness,  on 
the  17th  of  October,  between  Lady  Suffolk,  Trustee,  and 
Pelham ;  and,  before  giving  it,  I  am  induced  to  say  a  little 
about  that  famous  horse,  the  first  twenty-miler.  He  was 
got,  as  most  of  my  readers  have  heard,  by  the  thoroughbred 
horse  imported  Trustee,  out  of  the  trotting-mare  Fanny 
Pullen.  This  mare  was  bred  in  Maine ;  and  it  was  long 
supposed  that  she  was  a  descendant  of  the  Maine  Messen- 
ger ;  but,  from  a  letter  which  was  published  in  "  The  Spirit," 
from  one  who  speaks  by  authority,  it  now  appears  that  she 
had  no  known  Messenger-blood  in  her,  but  had  the  blood 
closely  of  a  thoroughbred  imported  horse,  who  is  not  other- 
wise known  much  about.  But  I  think,  that,  for  the  game 
and  lasting  qualities  of  Trustee,  we  must  look  in  a  great 
measure  to  his  sire,  the  imported  horse,  who  was  of  very 
renowned  blood.  He  was  got  by  Catton,  a  game,  strong 


244  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

horse,  and  a  four-mile  runner  at  high  weights,  who  was  bred 
from  the  Mercury  line  of  Eclipse ;  and  is  said  to  have  done  as 
much  for  Yorkshire,  in  England,  as  any  stallion  they  ever 
had  there,  getting  alike  race-horses,  hunters,  and  trotters 
for  the  stage-coaches. 

Trustee's  dam  was  one  of  the  most  famous  blood-mares,  in 
the  estimation  of  the  English,  that  they  ever  rejoiced  in. 
He  was  out  of  Emma,  by  Whisker,  who  was  own  brother  to 
Whalebone,  Web,  and  Wire.  So  Trustee  was  related  to 
Glencoe ;  for  Web  was  his  grandam.  This  Emma  was.  also 
the  dam  of  West  Australian's  dam,  and  of  Mundig  and 
Cotherstone,  both  of  whom  won  the  Derby.  Mundig,  as 
well  as  Trustee,  was  by  Catton.  The  trotter  Trustee  was  a 
chestnut  horse,  about  fifteen  hands  two  inches  high.  He 
was  a  strong  horse,  with  a  very  high  rump.  It  looked  to 
be  higher  than  his  withers ;  and  this  was  especially  the  case 
when  he  was  going.  He  was  a  low-headed  horse,  and  a 
stout  puller.  It  will  be  remembered,  that,  earlier  in  this 
work,  I  stated  that  hard  pulling  was  a  habit  to  be  carefully 
discouraged  in  dealing  with  trotters ;  but  that,  at  the  same 
time,  there  were  many  horses  £hat  could  not  or  would  not  do 
their  best  without  pulling.  Therefore,  when  a  horse  pulls, 
I  do  not  thimk  it  at  all  expedient  to  get  rid  of  the  pull  by 
means  of  punishing-bits,  bridoons,  or  such-like  devices. 
When  a  horse  gets  his  head  down  in  breaking,  as  Kemble 
Jackson  did,  it  is  a  different  matter;  but  the  trotter  that 
goes  at  his  best  rate  while  pulling  hard  had  best  be  borne 
with.  If  you  get  rid  of  the  pull  by  means  of  the  appliances 
I  have  alluded  to,  you  will  soon  get  rid  of  some  of  the  trot. 

It  is  often  said  that  a  horse  cannot  pull  hard  and  last ;  and 
this  is  contrary  to  the  facts  I  am  about  to  mention.  Trustee 
lasted ;  and  he  was  a  hard  puller.  Captain  McGowan  lasted ; 
and  he  is  the  hardest-pulling  horse  in  America,  I  suppose. 
Dexter  pu/ls  a  pound  or  two,  I  can  assure  you  j  and  he  has 
shown  his  sapacity  to  go  on.  The  truth  is,  that  the  pulling- 
horses  last  'veil  enough,  but  the  drivers  do  not  last  so  long. 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  245 

It  is  just  so  with  the  runners.  Look  at  English  Eclipse, 
who  "  pulled  a  ton/'  as  the  saying  has  it,  when  he  distanced 
his  fields.  Look  at  Norfolk,  a  desperate  hard  puller,  hut, 
nevertheless,  a  thorough  stayer.  I  mention*  these  instances 
in  order  that  you  may  not  be  led  away  by  a  theory  that  is 
groundless.  To  say  that  a  horse  can't  stay  because  he  pulls, 
is  not  true.  To  say  that  he  might  stay  as  well  if  he  did 
not  pull  so  hard,  and  that  he  would  be  much  more  pleasant 
to  ride  or  drive,  is  the  correct  thing. 

To  .return  to  Lady  Suffolk.  In  the  three-mile  race  between 
her  and  Trustee  and  Pelham,  there  were  three  heats. 
Trustee  won  the  first  of  them  in  7m.  45^s.,  and  the  mare 
was  second.  Pelham  was  third,  and  then  drawn.  The  mare 
won  the  second  and  third  heats  in  7m.  52s.,  7m.  57s.  Lady 
Suffolk's  next  trot  was  with  Long-Island  Black  Hawk. 
This  latter  famous  horse  was  by  Andrew  Jackson,  out  of 
Sallie  Miller,  a  mare  owned  at  Philadelphia.  She  was  a 
good  one.  In  1834  she  made  Ed.  Forrest  go  in  about  2m. 
31s.,  over  the  Centreville.  Afterward,  in  1836,  at  the  same 
course,  I  held  her  by  the  bridle  while  Andrew  Jackson  had 
the  amorous  intercourse  with  her  from  which  Long-Island 
Black  Hawk  sprang.  The  latter,  as  his  name  indicates, 
was  black.  He  had  four  white  legs  and  a  star,  —  a  horse  of 
the  finest  symmetry,  standing  fifteen  hands  two  inches  and 
a  half  high,  and  a  splendid  goer.  He  was  a  great  weight- 
puller,  and  the  first  that  went  in  2m.  40s.  to  a  wagon  and 
driver  of  three  hundred  and  ninety  pounds  weight.  It  was 
in  his  match  with  Jenny  Lind,  who  belonged  to  Mr.  Joseph 
Goodwin.  This  race  between  Suffolk  and  Black  Hawk  was 
at  the  Union  Course,  on  the  24th  of  October.  It  was  to 
wagon  and  driver  of  3501bs. ;  and  the  mare  won  in  three 
heats.  The  time  was  2m.  45s.,  2m.  40s.,  2m.  43s. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  the  Lady  went  three-mile  heats 
in  harness,  against  Trustee,  on  the  Union,  and  beat  him  in 
two  heats  of  8m.  13s.,  8m.  15s.  On  the  12th,  at  the  Centre- 
ville, she  went  two-mile  heats  against  the  pacer  Dan  Miller. 


246  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

The  mare  was  under  saddle,  the  pacer  in  harness.  They 
had  three  heats ;  of  which  he  won  the  first,  and  she  the  second 
and  third.  The  time  was  5m.  3^s.,  5.  12s.,  5m.  19s.  The 
old  mare  was  t'aken  from  the  Island  to  Boston  to  wind  tip 
that  season.  There,  on  the  22d  of  November,  she  went  with 
Trustee  two-mile  heats,  —  she  to  a  wagon  of  a  hundred  and 
fifteen  pounds,  and  he  to  a  fifty-pound  sulky.  She  beat  him 
in  two  heats  of  5m.  57s.,  5m.  34|-s.  On  the  29th,  she  went 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  against  Gray  Eagle ;  and 
he  beat  her  in  three  straight  heats  of  2m.  37s.,  2m.  40s.,  2m. 
38s.  The  Lady's  last  race  that  season  was  on  the  12th  of 
December.  She  went  two-mile  heats  against  Gray  Trouble, 
he  in  harness  and  she  to  wagon.  She  beat  him  in  two  heats 
of  5m.  38s.,  5m.  36s.  This  brought  her  to  the  end  of  1849 ;  in 
which  year  she  trotted  sixty  heats,  many  of  them  being  two 
and  three  mile  heats. 

That  two-mile  heat  race  at  Boston,  in  November,  was  the 
last  that  Trustee  ever  trotted  with  Suffolk.  He  was  entered 
in  one  with  her  and  Moscow  the  next  year,  but  did  not  trot 
it.  The  year  following  that,  he  came  to  his  death  at  Cin- 
cinnati. It  was  in  the  Queen-city  Course,  where,  as  appears 
from  his  letter  in  "  The  Spirit,"  Mr.  Larkin  (name  not  on 
the  bills)  went  a  buffalo-hunting  with  some  Indian  braves 
and  a  great  medicine-man  called  Crisp.  On  the  13th  of 
July,  1851,  Trustee,  Gray  Eagle,  Shavetail,  and  Bluffer 
went  a  race  of  three-mile  heats  in  harness,  on  the  course 
named.  The  day  was  extremely  hot.  Trustee  won  the  first 
heat  in  8m.  38s. ;  but,  being  in  poor  condition,  succumbed  to 
the  heat  soon  after  starting  for  the  second  three  miles,  and 
literally  died  in  harness.  Gray  Eagle  came  near  dying,  too, 
and  was  only  saved  by  prompt  blood-letting.  The  others 
went  three  heats  and  the  Bluffer  was  drawn. 


XXX. 

Lady  Suffolk  in  1850, 1851, 1852, 1853.  — Her  Retirement  and  Death.  — The 
Story  of  Flora  Tsmple.  —  Opening  Chapter  of  her  History,  by  George 
Wilkes. 

I  DO  not  propose  to  follow  the  career  of  Lady  Suffolk  in 
all  its  further  details.  Sufficient  lias  been  said  to  show 
what  a  wonderful  mare  she  was ;  and,  before  she  left  the 
turf,  the  shadow  of  another,  and  a  greater  than  she,  began 
to  appear  upon  the  dial.  In  1850,  Lady  Suffolk  trotted 
sixteen  times,  mostly  with  success ;  in  1851,  fourteen 
times ;  in  1852,  fifteen  times ;  in  1853,  twice,  and  in  both 
of  these  races  she  was  defeated.  That  was  about  the  last 
of  the  famous  gray  mare.  She  became  the  property  of  Mr. 
Ezra  White,  and  died  in  honorable  retirement.  She  never 
had  a  foal.  The  greater  than- she,  to  whom  I-  have  alluded, 
was  Flora  Temple ;  and  her  first  appearance  in  history  is  so 
finely  and  graphically  told  in  the  first  chapter  of  her  life  by 
George  Wilkes,  that  I  mean  to  make  it  a  part  of  this  book, 
as  follows :  — 

CHAPTER    I. 

The  sun  shone  beautifully  in  the  summer  of  1850.  It 
shone  with  peculiar  brightness  all  along  the  Hudson  Biver 
at  that  time,  and  especially  in  Duchess  County  ;  but  no- 
where in  the  wide  world,  in  the  summer  of  1850,  did  its 
beams  fall  with  a  more  sweet  and  mellow  radiance  than  in 
the  little  village  of  Washington  Hollow,  about  four  miles 
back  of  the  town  of  Poughkeepsie.  It  seemed,  indeed,  to 
come  into  the  village  with  peculiar  gladness ;  and,  from  the 

247 


248  THE  TROTTINO-UORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

way  its  glitter  played  among  the  leaves  of  the  trees,  and  its 
broad,  warm  flood  spread  itself  fondly  upon  the  field  and 
mixed  wantonly  with  the  very  earth  of  the  road,  it  appeared 
as  if  it  never  desired  to  withdraw.  And  every  thing  in 
Washington  Hollow  seemed  to  respond  in  peaceful  happi- 
ness to  these  visits  of  the  sun ;  and  day  in  and  day  out, 
whenever  the  sun  shone,  which  it  did  in  Washington  Hol- 
low nearly  the  whole  of  its  allotted  term,  the  village  looked 
precisely  as  cheerful  as  it  did  the  day  before. 

On  one  of  the  finest  of  these  kind  of  mornings  in  Wash- 
ington Hollow,  in  the  month  of  June,  of  the  year  of  grace 
aforesaid,  Jonathan  A.  Vielee  stood  listlessly  at  his  stable- 
door,  looking  out  into  the  road,  thinking,  doubtless,  as<wa£ 
common  with  the  inhabitants  of  that  village,  that  he  had 
never  seen  the  sun  shine  so  bright  before,  when  his  atten- 
tion was  attracted  by  the  faint  clank  of  a  bell ;  and,  turning 
that  way,  he  saw  a  stout  drover  coming  down  the  road  with 
fifty  or  sixty  head  of  cattle,  one  of  which  bore  the  bell  that 
had  struck  his  ear.  The  cattle  filed  before  the  practised 
and  admiring  eyes  of  Mr.  Vielee ;  and  after  them  came  the 
drover's  wagon,  drawn  by  two  stout  mares,  driven  by  a 
sleepy-looking  negro ;  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  road,  but 
near  enough  to  exchange  a  nod  with  Mr.  Jonathan  A. 
Vielee,  rode  the  drover  on  a  graceful  gray  stallion,  keeping 
his  charge  in  line.  Mr.  Jonathan  A.  Vielee  looked  approv- 
ingly upon  many  of  the  cattle  :  he  thought  the  brown  mares 
that  drew  the  wagon  a  very  serviceable  pair  of  "  horses-of- 
all-work ; "  and  he  admired  the  tall  stallion  on  which  the 
drover  rode,  as  a  fine  piece  of  ,fl esh,  that  showed  a  good 
many  signs  of  "  blood ; "  but,  in  all  this  scrutiny,  Mr.  Vielee 
saw  nothing  to  excite  him  from  the  delightful  state  of  tran- 
quillity which  the  soft  and  quiet  beauty  of  the  morning  had 
put  him  in.  Just,  however,  as  he  was  about  turning  his 
head  again  to  the  advanced  part  of  the  line,  something  riv- 
eted his  attention. 

This   something,   which   riveted  the    attention  of   Mr. 


THE  TROTTING-30RSE  OF  AMERICA.  249 

Jonathan  Vielee,  was  a  little,  rough-coated  bay  mare,  not 
over  fourteen  hands  two  inches  high  (4  feet  10),  tied  at  the 
tail  of  the  wagon  by  a  rope-halter  some  three  or  four  feet 
long.  There  certainly  was  nothing  in  the  conduct  of  the 
little  bay  mare  to  deserve  this  attention  from  the  practised 
eye  of  Mr.  Vielee.  She  was  going  quietly  along,  not  tug- 
ging at  her  halter,  but  yielding  to  it,  and  apparently  enjoy- 
ing the  bright  sun  of  Washington  Hollow,  as  it  laved  her 
sides  and  back,  and  bathed  the  landscape  far  and  near,  as 
if  she  had  belonged  to  Washington  Hollow  itself.  To  judge 
by  her  manner,  as  she  ruminated  over  a  sweet  quid,  which 
was  occasionally  replenished  by  a  sturdy  little  boy  of  six 
years  of  age,  who  held  handfuls  of  succulent  fresh  hay  to 
her  over  the  tail-board,  she  was  in  much  the  same  tranquil, 
shiny-morning  mood  as  Mr.  Vielee  himself.  Nay,  it  is  not 
impossible  (if  a  certain  theory  of  animal  intelligence  be 
true),  that,  as  she  dropped  her  large,  intelligent  eye  reflect- 
ively upon  Mr.  Jonathan  Vielee,  she  thought,  just  at  the 
moment  when  Mr.  Vielee  mentally  exclaimed,  "  That's  a 
mighty  game-looking  little  mare  ! "  —  we  say  it  is  not  im- 
possible, that,  at  that  very  moment,  she  might  quietly  have 
thought,  "  There's  a  man  who  knows  something  about  a 
horse!" 

And  Mr.  Jonathan  Vielee  would  not  have  been  misrepre- 
sented by  the  little  mare,  had  she  even  given  utterance  tc 
this  idea.  He  had  a  sharp  eye  for  the  points  of  a  horse ; 
he  had  dealt  a  great  deal  in  that  way ;  and,  as  he  gazed  at 
the  little  mare's  blood-like  head,  traced  her  fine,  well-set 
neck,  firm  shoulders,  strong,  straight  back,  long  barrel  well 
ribbed  up,  powerful  forearms,  fine  pasterns,  short  cannon 
bones,  and  general  display  of  muscle,  he  thought  he  would 
like  to  inquire  into  her  mouth,  and  take  a  peep  or  two  at 
her  feet.  Mr.  Jonathan  Vielee  hailed  the  drowsy-looking 
nigger  who  drove  the  wagon,  and  brought  the  drover  to  a 
stand-still  with  a  more  respectful  but  not  less  meaning  sig- 
nal. Then  those  civilities  which  are  due  between  all  peo- 


250  THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA. 

pie  in  bright  mornings,  as  well  in  Washington  Hollow  as 
everywhere  else,  passed  between  the  drover  and  our  good 
friend  of  Washington  Hollow ;  and  presently  Mr.  Vielee  had 
the  little  bay  mare  by  the  nose,  and  was  studying  every 
mark  upon  her  teeth.  He  then  took  hold  of  her  feet ;  and 
the  little  mare  lifted  them  successively  in  his  hand  with  a 
quiet,  downward  glance,  that  seemed  to  say,  "  You'll  find 
every  thing  right  there,  Mr.  Vielee,  and  as  fair  and  as  firm 
as  if  you  wished  me  to  trot  for  a  man's  life  ! "  And  so  Mr. 
Vielee  did ;  and,  as  he  dropped  the  last  foot,  he  liked  the 
promise  of  the  little  mare  amazingly ;  and  it  struck  him,  that, 
if  he  could  get  her  for  any  sum  short  of  $250,  she  would 
be  a  mighty  good  bargain. 

"  She  is  about  five  years  old  ?  "  said  Mr.  Vielee,  inquir- 
ingly- 

"  You  have  seen  for  yourself,"  replied  the  drover. 

"  I  should  judge  she  was  all  right  ?  "  again  suggested 
Mr.  Vielee,  partly  walking  round  the  mare,  and  again  look- 
ing at  her  up  and  down. 

"Sound  as  a  dollar,  and  kind  as  a  kitten,"  responded  the 
drover,  as  firmly  as  if  prepared  to  give  a  written  guarantee. 

"  Not  always  so  kind,  neither, "  said  Mr.  Vielee,  looking 
again  steadily  at  the  mare's  face ;  "  or  I  don't  understand 
that  deviltry  in  her  eye.  But  that's  neither  here  nor  there : 
you  say  the  mare  is  for  sale.  Now,  let's  know  what  you'll 
take  for  her." 

This  inquiry  of  Mr.  Vielee's  was  the  opening  of  a  highly 
scientific  display  of  diplomacy  between  him  and  the  rider 
of  the  gray  stallion ;  which,  after  lasting  some  three-quarters 
of  an  hour,  during  which  the  little  bay  mare  was  put 
through  all  her  paces  in  one  of  Mr.  Vielee's  wagons,  result- 
ed in  her  passing  permanently  from  the  halter  at  the  tail 
of  the  wagon  into  the  possession  of  Mr.  Jonathan  Vielee, 
for  the  sum  of  $175. 

"  And  a  pretty  good  price  at  that,"  said  the  drover  to 
himself,  on  pocketing  the  cash,  "  for  an  animal  that  only 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  251 

cost  me  ( eighty/  and  who  is  so  foolish  and  flighty  that  she 
will  never  be  able  to  make  a  square  trot  in  her  life." 

The  drover  could  give  no  satisfactory  answer  to  Mr.  Vie- 
lee's  inquiries  about  the  origin,  or,  to  speak  more  profession- 
ally, about  the  pedigree,  of  the  little  bay  mare.  All  that  he 
could  say  was,  that  he  had  bought  her  in  Utica  of  a  young 
man  who  had  for  some  time  been  endeavoring  to  dispose  of 
her  in  connection  with  another  little  mare,  which  he  had 
vainly  endeavored  to  drive  with  her  in  double  harness.  The 
fault  of  the  team  laid  against  the  crazy  disposition  of  the 
little  creature  whom  we  have  now  under  consideration ;  so, 
when  they  were  offered  for  sale  together,  in  a  place  where 
both  of  them  were  known,  our  intractable  little  beauty  was 
invariably  rejected,  and  finally  the  owner  was  obliged  to 
dispose  singly  of  her  mate. 

This  was  all  the  drover  could  tell  about  the  matter ;  but, 
had  he  been  thoroughly  instructed  in  the  antecedents  of  the 
little  bay  mare,  he  might  have  told  him  that  she  was  foaled 
in  Oneida  County,  near  Utica,  out  of  a  mare  the  very  pic- 
ture of  herself,  who  had  been  most  happily  united  with  a 
fine  stallion,  named  One-Eyed  Hunter,  who  was  by  Ken- 
tucky Hunter,  well  known  among  the  thoroughbreds  of  the 
Western  and  Southern  States.  She  was  docked  with  a 
jack-knife  before  she  was  an  hour  old,  and  stood  on  her  feet 
at  that  time,  having  the  same  gray  hairs  at  the  roots  of  her 
tail  that  she  brought  into  Washington  Hollow,  and  carries 
to  this  day.  Her  owner,  Mr.  Tracy,  kept  her  till  she  was 
four  years  old,  when,  finding  her  wilful  and  unserviceable, 
he  disposed  of  her  to  Mr.  William  H.  Congdon  of  Smyrna, 
Chenango  County,  for  the  suin  of  thirteen  dollars.  Mr. 
Congdon,  after  keeping  her  a  while,  disposed  of  her  to  Kelly 
&  Eichardson  for  sixty-eight  dollars ;  and,  after  changing 
hands  once  or  twice  more,  she  found  herself  at  last  standing 
as  we  have  described  her,  on  a  bright  Sunday  morning,  in 
the  centre  of  Washington  Hollow,  listening  attentively  to 
the  conversation  that  was  passing  between  the  drover  and 
Mr.  Jonathan  Vielee. 


252  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

Now,  if  the  little  bay  oiare  could  have  foreseen  and  com- 
prehended the  brilliant  influence  which  this  bargain  between 
the  drover  and  Mr.  Vielee  was  to  have  upon  her  destiny, 
she  could  not  have  evinced  more  joy  than  she  did  on  this 
bright,  soft,  sunshiny  summer  morning,  in  the  year  of  grace 
1850,  when  she  was  taken  from  the  tail  of  the  drover's 
wagon,  and  led  into  Mr.  Vielee's  comfortable,  well-aired 
stable.  She  danced  around  him,  as  he  led  her  across  the 
road,  to  the  full  stretch  of  her  halter  j  she  tossed  her  head 
gayly  up  and  down ;  she  ran  forward,  and  put  her  nose  play- 
fully over  his  shoulder;  and,  when  she  got  into  her  clean, 
cozy,  well-strewn  stall,  she  whinnied  long  and  slowly  and  re- 
peatedly, with  profound  delight. 

But,  if  this  pleasure  on  the  part  of  the  little  bay  mare 
proceeded  from  any  notion  that  she  had  found  an  established 
home,  her  calculations  were  very  much  astray.  Mr.  Vielee 
was  a  practical  man  of  business ;  and  his  main  idea  in  the 
way  of  business  was  to  turn  a  rapid  penny,  and  invest  the 
profits  of  one  good  transaction  immediately  into  another. 
He  knew  that  he  had  a  most  promising  piece  of  horseflesh, 
—  one  that  united  all  the  outside  conceivable  marks  of 
merit ;  and,  with  a  correct  judgment,  he  concluded  that  the 
city  of  New  York  —  the  great <arena  where  the  best  trotting- 
blood  of  the  country  is  collected  and  pitted  in  continual  con- 
test—  was  the  place  where  the  new-found  jewel  would  com- 
mand the  highest  mark.  "  There's  no  telling  what  she 
may  not  be  able  to  do  in  time,"  thought  Mr.  Vielee  in  con- 
nection with  this  resolution  j  "  for  if,  with  that  fine  make 
and  immense  muscle,  she  only  settles  into  a  handy  style  of 
going,  —  a  style  that  don't  waste  any  of  her  power  in  false 
action,  —  she  may  yet  be  able  to  beat  7em  all.'7 

With  such  thoughts  as  this  in  his  head,  Mr.  Vielee  kept 
the  mare  in  his  stable  barely  two  weeks ;  and,  at  the  end  of 
that  time,  he  took  her  to  New  York.  .  As  he  took  her  there 
to  sell,  it  is  not  necessary  to  this  history  that  we  should 
trace  his  steps,  further  than  to  say,  that,  finding  an  oppor- 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  253 

tunity  to  double  his  money,  lie  sold  the  rough-coated,  un- 
known little  bay  mare  to  Mr.  George  E.  Perrin  of  this  me- 
tropolis, for  the  sum  of  $350. 

In  the  hands  of  Mr.  Perrin,  the  little  bay  mare;  who  had 
proved  so  intractable,  so  flighty,  so  harem-scarem,  and,  to 
come  down  to  the  true  term,  so  worthless,  to  her  original 
owners,  was  favored  with  more  advantages  than  ever  she 
had  enjoyed  before.  She  was  not  only  introduced  to  the 
very  best  society  of  fast-goers  on  the  Bloomingdale  and 
Long-Island  Roads,  but  she  was  taught,  when  "flinging 
herself  out"  with  exuberant  and  superabundant  spirit  all 
over  the  road,  as  it  were,  to  play  her  limbs  in  a  true  line, 
and  give  her  extraordinary  qualities  a  chance  to  show  their 
actual  worth.  If  ever  she  made  a  skip,  a  quick  admonition 
and  a  steady  check  brought  her  to  her  senses ;  and  when,  in 
her  frenzy  of  excitement  at  being  challenged  by  some 
tip-top  goer,  she  would,  to  use  a  sportsman's  phrase,  "  travel 
over  herself,"  and  go  "  up  "  into  the  air,  she  was  steadied  and 
settled  down  by  a  firm  rein  into  solid  trotting  and  good 
behavior  in  an  instant.  The  crazy,  flighty,  half-racking 
and  half-trotting  little  bay  mare  became  a  true  stepper,  and 
very  luckily  passed  out  of  her  confused  "rip-i-ty  clip-i-ty"  sort 
of  going,  into  a  clean,  even,  long,  low,  locomotive-trotting 
stroke.  Many  a  man  who  came  up  to  a  road-tavern,  after 
having  been  unexpectedly  beaten  by  her,  would  say  to  her 
owner,  as  they  took  a  drink  at  the  bar,  "  That's  a  mighty 
nice  little  mare  of  yours ;  and,  if  she  was  only  big  enough  to 
stand  hard  work,  you  might  expect  a  good  deal  from  her." 

There  was  at  that  time,  as  there  has  been  for  the  last 
twenty  years,  many  horses  of  great  repute  upon  the  roads 
in  the  vicinity  of  New  York ;  and,  among  the  horses  which 
now  and  then  came  in  disdainful  contact  with  the  little  bay 
mare,  was  one  of  considerable  speed  and  fame,  called  "  The 
Waite  Pony." 

If  his  oats  had  sprouted  into  salt  hay  under  his  touch,  the 
proud  and  supercilious  Waite  Pony  could  not  have  been 


254  THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

more  surprised,  one  fine  afternoon  in  that  same  summer  of 
1850  so  oftej.  already  noticed,  when,  in  a  mile  contest  in  that 
stretch  of  road  which  lies  between  Burnham's  and  Elm 
Park,  the  little  bay  mare  beat  him  to  what  is  called  "a 
stand-still,"  and  deposited  her  owner  in  advance  of  his  at 
Stryker's  Bay.  This  caused  the  little  bay  mare  to  be  looked 
at  very  closely  by  everybody  on  the  stoop  of  the  house  at 
Stryker's  Bay;  and,  while  the  idlers  and  horse-sharps  were 
descanting  on  her  points,  the  owners  of  the  respective  horses 
made  a  match  that  they  should  go  against  each  other  on 
the  Heel-House  Track  on  the  following  afternoon.  It  was  a 
mere  road-match,  this  match  between  the  Waite  Pony  and 
the  little  bay  mare,  —  a  match  of  fancy,  not  of  profit ;  but, 
though  of  this  nature,  the  reputation  of  the  little  mare  had 
been  growing  so  rapidly  of  late  that  a  large  number  of  the 
habitues  of  the  road  were  present  at  the  contest. 

The  track  was  a  half-mile  track,  the  same  that  is  still 
attached  to  the  above-named  house ;  and  the  race  was  for  a 
single  mile  in  harness.  At  starting,  the  odds  were  all 
against  the  mare:  but  they  changed  as  soon  as  she  got  off; 
and  she  won  with  the  greatest  ease,  and  with  the  power,  as 
was  plain  to  every  looker-on,  to  have  reduced  the  time  of 
the  performance  by  several  seconds.  As,  however,  the  time 
was  considerably  over  three  minutes,  it  did  not  increase  the 
reputation  of  the  mare  as  much  as  it  discounted  her  com- 
petitor. A  match  was,  therefore,  soon  after  made  between 
her  and  a  fine  horse  known  as  Vanderburg's  gray  stallion, 
for  $500  a  side,  mile  heats,  the  stallion  to  go  to  a  2501b. 
wagon,  and  the  mare  to  go  in  harness.  This  match 
came  off  on  the  Union  Course,  Long  Island,  and  was  easily 
won  in  three  heats  by  'the  mare  in  very  handsome  time. 

The  next  exploit  of  the  little  bay  mare  was  the  winning 
of  a  stake,  on  Sept.  9  of  that  same  year  of  grace,  on 
the  same  course,  for  which  she  was  entered  after  arriving 
on  the  ground.  She  was  not  in  racing-trim.  On  the 
previous  day,  she  had  been  driven  very  hard ;  and,  on  coming 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE   OF  AMERICA.  255 

home  that  night,  was  treated  with  a  "warm  mash/'  and 
virtually  put  to  bed.  On  the  next  morning,  however,  she 
looked  so  fine  that  her  owner  concluded  to  go  and  see  the 
race  j  and  on  the  road  she  behaved  so  well,  and  beat  so  many 
going  down,  that  he  determined,  "just  for  a  flyer/7  to  let 
her  try  her  mettle  for  the  purse.  The  race  was  a  race  of 
mile  heats  in  harness ;  and  the  horses  entered  were  White- 
hall, Delaware  Maid,  Napoleon,  and  Hiram.  The  first- 
named  horse,  a  fine  brown  stallion  entered  by  James 
Whelpley,  was  the  contestant  of  the  greatest  promise :  but 
all  the  others  were  well  thought  of ;  and  their  owners,  being 
among  the  most  popular  patrons  of  the  trotting-turf,  had 
given  to  the  race  considerable  interest. 

It  was  a  bold  exploit  to  enter  that  comparatively  unknown 
little  runt  of  a  mare,  under  such  circumstances,  against  such 
horses ;  and  when  her  owner,  unable  to  obtain  a  trotting 
"  skeleton,"  determined  to  put  her  through  in  a  common  road- 
sulky,  his  conduct  was  looked  upon  as  audacious  in  the 
extreme. 

At  length  the  start  was  given,  and  away  they  went.  The 
five  horses  and  sulkies  were  all  well  together  for  a  few 
seconds,  when  Whitehall,  with  a  fine,  bold  stroke,  drew  out 
of  the  clump,  and  took  a  commanding  lead :  the  little  bay 
mare,  however,  in  the  battered  road-sulky,  kept  making  her 
long,  low,  sweeping  stride  directly  in  his  wake,  with  the 
regularity  of  machinery,  and  threatening  to  travel  past  him 
the  first  moment  he  should  lose  his  foot.  At  the  first-quar- 
ter pole,  there  was  but  one  length  distance  between  the 
stallion  and  the  mare;  at  the  half-mile,  but  barely  two: 
while  the  others,  with  the  exception  of  Delaware  Maid,  who 
was  tolerably  well  up,  were  being  tailed  off  in  most  disas- 
trous manner.  In  this  order,  the  heat  -was  won  by  Whelp- 
ley's  stallion;  the  little  bay  mare,  with  the  heavy  road- 
sulky,  whom  nobody  thought  would  have  the  least  chance 
in  the  world,  being  second;  Delaware  Maid,  third;  while 
Napoleon  and  Hiram  wore  "distanced."  The  two  latter 


256  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

being  now  out  of  the  race,  the  little  bay  mare  secured  a 
trotting-sulky  for  herself:  and  the  record  gives  her  the  three 
succeeding  heats  in  the  improving  time  of  2.55,  2.52,  and 
2.49 ;  Delaware  Maid  being  third  on  each  occasion.  The 
greatest  excitement  attended  the  conclusion  of  the  third  and 
fourth  heats ;  and,  when  the  race  was  done,  the  spectators 
advanced  and  felt  the  little  heroine  all  over,  as  if  they  could 
not  comprehend  how  such  a  petite,  indifferent-looking  crea- 
ture could  stand  the  weight  and  fatigue,  and  yet  maintain 
the  speed  she  did. 

The  latter  was  the  first  exploit  that  introduced  the  little 
bay  mare  to  the  pages  of  the  "  Racing  Calendar."  She  was 
recorded  under  the  modest  name  of  "  Flora ; "  and  it  was 
little  thought  by  those  who  placed  after  her  name  on  this 
occasion  the  mystical  figures  "211  1,"  that  she  was 
destined  in  future  to  render  those  tables  so  illustrious." 

After  this  trot,  the  little  bay  mare,  or  Flora  Temple  as 
we  are  now  at  liberty  to  call  her,  passed  into  the  hands  of 
John  C.,  the  brother  of  George  E.  Pen-in,  for  the  sum  of 
$575,  —  a  very  handsome  increase  over  the  price  paid  by  Mr. 
Jonathan  Vielee  to  the  drover,  and  more  than  seven  times 
as  much  as  the  sum  for  which  she  had  been  gladly  parted 
with  by  her  Utica  owner  some  three  or  four  months  before. 

Soon  after  obtaining  possession  of  her,  the  new  owner  of 
Flora  Temple,  with  unbounded  confidence  in  her  speed  and 
lasting  qualities,  matched  her  that  winter  against  the  bay 
horse  of  Mr.  Edward  White,  for  three-mile  heats  in  harness, 
to  trot  in  the  following  spring  (1851),  for  $2,000,  half  for- 
feit. About  six  weeks  before  this  match  was  due,  however, 
the  mare  met  with  an  accident  in  her  exercise  which  would 
have  rendered  her  unfit  to  go ;  but,  this  accident  being  un- 
known to  Mr.  White,  and  his  own  horse  being  "  out  of 
trim,"  he  paid  forfeit,  and  the  match  was  "off." 

Nothing  was  done  with  the  little  bay  mare  in  the  spring, 
summer,  and  winter  of  1851.  The  fright  which  she  had 
taken,  from  the  shafts  of  her  sulky  knocking  against  her 


THE  TROTT1NG-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  257 

heels  in  the  accident  referred  to,  rendered  her  appre'ie/asive, 
wild,  and  flighty ;  and  it  was  found  necessary  to  take  her 
out  of  training,  and  put  her  on  the  road.  In  that  position 
she  remained  till  the  following  summer  (1852),  when  her 
owner,  finding  that  she  had  regained  her  confidence  and 
steadiness  again  by  beating  with  great  ease  the  bay  mare 
Philadelphia  Sal  round  the  Red-House  Track  for  a  stake 
of  $200,  made  a  match  against  Young  Dutchman,  for  $250 
a  side,  mile  heats,  best  three  in  five,  in  harness,  to  come 
off  on  the  Union  Course,  on  Kov.  10.  Though  this 
match  excited  considerable  interest,  there  was  nothing  about 
it  to  particularize.  The  mare  won  in  three  heats,  placing 
herself  indisputably  "well  up  "  among  the  first-class  horses 
by  recording  the  time  at  2.40,  2.39,  and  2.36.  She  was  then 
taken  out  of  training,  and  put  in  winter  quarters  at  Jamaica, 
L.I. ;  and,  as  we  have  given  her  an  opportunity  to  express 
herself  in  thought  once  or  twice  before,  we  may  be  allowed 
to  imagine,  that,  when  she  left  the  course  at  the  close  of  the 
last  contest,  she  might  have  meant  to  say,  in  her  low  neigh 
of  triumph,  "Little  as  I  am,  I  am  now  mistress  of  the 
trotting-course,  and  let  no  one  henceforth  value  me  at  less 
than  $2,000!" 


IT 


XXXI. 

Capacity  of  Small  Horses  to  pull  Weight.  —  Flora  Temple  and  Centreville. 

—  Flora  and  Black  Douglas.  —  Flora  and  Young  Dutchman.  —  Flora  and 
Lady  Brooks.  —  Flora  and  Highland  Maid.  —  Breeding  of  Highland  Maid. 

—  Description  of  her.  —  Her  Races  with  Flora. 

IT  will  be  remembered  that  I  have  spoken  of  three  prime 
qualities  in  the  trotting-horse ;  viz.,  speed,  bottom,  and 
the  power  to  pull  weight.  I  was  already  confident  that  little 
Flora  possessed  the  last,  as  well  as  the  other  two.  People 
are  apt  to  think  that  great  size  is  demanded  for  a  weight- 
puller,  but  there  are  plenty  of  notable  instances  to  show  that 
this  is  a  mistake.  Still,  though  there  need  not  be  great  size, 
and  though  some  big  horses  are  the  very  worst  of  weight- 
pullers,  coming  right  back  as  soon  as  they  are  required  to 
take  along  a  wagon  and  a  heavy  man,  strength  is  certainly 
demanded.  This  strength  in  small  horses  is  the  result  of 
a  nice  adaptation  of  parts,  together  with  particular  power  in 
the  loin  and  hind-quarters.  If  a  little  horse  of  that  sort  be 
particularly  examined,  it  will  commonly  be  found,  that, 
though  they  are  low,  they  are  long  in  all  the  moving  parts ; 
and  their  quarters  are  generally  as  big,  and  sometimes  a 
deal  bigger,  than  those  of  many  much  larger  horses. 

Having  in  my  mind  the  conviction  that  Flora  was  a 
weight-puller,  as  well  as  fast  and  stout,  I  matched  her  in 
December,  1852,  for  $500  a  side,  to  trot,  mile  heats,  three 
in  five,  with  Centreville,  to  wagons  of  2501bs.  The  mare 
had  been  let  up,  and  had  had  no  fast  work  for  three  or  four 
weeks.  She  had,  however,  been  jogged.  Centreville  was 
held  to  be  very  nearly  or  quite  the  best  weight-puller  we 

258 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  259 

Lad  at  tLat  time,  and  some  endeavored  to  dissuade  me  from 
starting  the  little  mare.  It  was  100  to  70  on  the  horse  at 
the  start.  As  soon  as  the  word  was  given,  Flora  went  with 
such  a  rush  that  she  was  over  herself  on  the  turn,  and  lost 
a  good  many  lengths  before  she  settled  to  work  ;  but  at  the 
quarter-pole  she  had  recovered  her  stroke,  and  she  soon  over- 
hauled Centre ville,  and  gave  him  a  sight  of  a  fast  stern- 
chase.  Joel  Conk]  ing  drove  him ;  and,  finding  that  he  could 
not  come  up  with  Flora,  he  took  him  in  hand,  and  just 
dropped  into  the  distance.  The  mare  won  the  heat  with 
great  ease  in  2m.  42s.  The  heat  was  a  good  one ;  and  Flora 
had  trotted  so  fast  after  her  break  that  everybody  could  see 
she  was  mistress  of  the  weight.  Odds  of  100  to  60  was 
forthwith  laid  upon  her ;  and  she  won  the  second  arid  third 
heats  in  2m.  46s.  and  2m.  44s. 

Considering  the  time  of  year,  the  state  of  the  ground, 
and  the  fact  that  she  was  not  in  reality  in  training,  this  was 
a  performance  of  uncommon  significance,  and  it  added  vastly 
to  Flora's  value.  That  winter  she  was  sold  to  Mr.  Boerum 
of  William sburg,  with  an  engagement  to  trot  Young  Dutch- 
man for  $1,000.  The  price  paid  for  Flora  was  $4,000.  She 
had,  as  was  before  related,  been  sold  by  George  Perrin  to 
his  brother  John  for  $575  in  the  previous  spring.  A  great 
race  very  often  adds  immensely  to  the  value  of  a  hoise,  or 
rather,  I  should  say,  it  vastly  increases  the  price  that  the 
world  is  inclined  to  rate  the  horse  at.  Flora's  is  not  the 
only  instance  I  have  known  in  which  a  trotter  jumped  from 
hundreds  almost  to  thousands  by  reason  of  one  performance. 
It  sometimes  happens  that  it  is  not  the  interest  of  the 
owners  to  let  the  horse  be  placed  in  a  situation  to  do  his  best 
in  public ;  and,  again,  a  trainer  of  good  observation  and 
faith  will  sometimes  be  far  ahead  of  the  owner  and  of  the 
public  in  his  estimate  of  a  horse. 

Before  the  match  between  Flora  and  Young  Dutchman 
came  off,  she  went  to  Philadelphia  to  trot  with  Black  Doug- 
las, a  young  horse  of  great  private  reputation.  They  trot- 


260  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

ted  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harnesss,  on  the  Hunting- 
park  Course,  April  23,  the  spring  of  1853.  The  mare  was 
big  and  lacked  seasoning.  The  horse  was  fast,  and  beat 
her  in  three  straight  heats,—  2.35|,  2.30}-,  2.35.  This  was 
a  great  performance  for  a  green  horse ;  but  the  little  mare 
was  forthwith  matched  to  try  the  cause  with  him  again  on 
the  17th  of  the  next  month.  Meantime  she  returned  to 
New  York  for  her  meeting  with  Young  Dutchman,  which 
was  to  have  come  off  on  the  Union  Course  on  the  3d ;  but 
the  Dutchman  paid  forfeit,  not  being  up  to  the  mark,  and 
a  match  was  made  between  Flora  and  Lady  Brooks. 

The  latter  was  a  good  mare.  Her  friends  were  so  fond 
of  her,  and  there  was  so  much  bragging  and  boasting  in  re- 
gard to  her  speed  and  staying  qualities,  that  100  to  60  was 
laid  against  Flora.  They  trotted  mile  heats,  three  in  five, 
at  the  Centreville,  for  $1,000,  on  the  4th  of  May.  I  liked 
the  little  mare  well  that  day,  and  told  my  friends  to  take 
the  odds  to  any  amount.  I  knew  a  little  of  Lady  Brooks 
myself ;  and,  if  there  is  one  thing  that  a  trainer  and  driver 
needs  above  all  others  except  knowledge  and  skill,  it  is  to 
turn  an  absolutely  deaf  ear  to  the  boastings  of  his  oppo- 
nents. Flora  won  the  race  in  three  straight  heats,  —  2.31  J, 
2.32,  2.33 J.  They  were  all  won  with  great  ease ;  and  not 
one  of  them  was  as  fast  as  they  all  were  to  have  been,  ac- 
cording to  what  was  proclaimed  as  to  the  capability  of  Lady 
Brooks.  In  this  race  Flora  had  fine  speed.  One  of  the 
half-miles  was  trotted  in  1.13,  and  I  took  her  in  hand.  She 
was  now  eight  years  old,  very  sound,  of  good  constitution, 
a  capital  feeder,  and  was  all  the  time  improving.  I  say  all 
the  time  improving  j  for,  though  she  had  been  beaten  by 
Black  Douglas,  I  was  satisfied  that  she  would  give  a  good 
account  of  him  at  their  next  meeting  on  the  17th.  I  had 
not  driven  her  in  her  first  trot  with  Douglas ;  but  this  time 
I  went  on  with  her.  She  suited  the  amateurs  and  trotting- 
men  so  well  when  she  was  hitched  up,  and  I  warmed  her 
previous  to  the  start,  that  she  was  backed  at  100  to  80.  The 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  261 

Douglas  was  of  no  comparative  account  to  her  that  day. 
She  won  in  three  heats,  —  2.32J,  2.35,  2.31}.  Another 
match  was  made  "between  them  to  trot  on  Long  Island  on  the 
30th  of  June ;  but,  before  that  came  off,  Flora  had  a  very 
hard  race,  and,  if  luck  as  well  as  her  own  speed  and  thorough 
game  had  not  stood  her  friend,  it  is  a  question  whether  she 
would  not  have  been  beaten. 

At  that  time,  Mr.  F.  J.  Nodine  of  Brooklyn  owned  two 
very  fine  young  mares,  as  well  as  Centreville,  who  had  been 
beaten  by  Flora  in  1852.  This  horse  Centreville  was  a  dark- 
brown  gelding,  nearly  sixteen  hands  high.  When  he  trot- 
ted against  Flora,  Mr.  Nodine,  who  was  a  very  good  and  ex- 
perienced driver,  was  asked  to  drive  him  a  heat.  He  com- 
plied, and  liked  the  horse  so  well  that  he  bought  him  after 
the  race.  In  1853,  he  was  quite  successful  with  him.  He 
got  forfeits  from  Gray  Medoc  and  Beggar  Boy ;  and  he  beat 
Black  Douglas  to  wagons  in  five  heats,  of  which  the  time 
was  2.34,  2.32,  2.35,  2.33,  2.32.  He  also  beat  the  Douglas 
in  harness ;  and  here  again  they  had  five  heats  of  it,  of  which 
the  time  was  2.30^,  2.32,  2.32fc  2.33,  2.33£.  As  Flora  had 
recently  defeated  these  horses,  she  must  have  stood  high  in 
the  estimation  of  Mr.  Nodine ;  but,  for  all  that,  he  matched 
one  of  the  young  mares  he  had  against  her. 

The  mare  in  question  was  Highland  Maid.  She  was  bred 
in  Orange  County,  and  foaled  in  1847 ;  consequently  she 
was  but  six  years  old  when  she  met  the  redoubtable  Flora 
Temple.  Highland  Maid  was  exceedingly  well-bred.  Her 
sire  was  Saltram,  a  horse  by  Kentucky  Whip  out  of  a  Gray- 
Messenger  mare  ;  and  her  darn  was  a  flea-bitten  gray  mare 
of  the  Messenger  blood.  It  follows  that  Highland  Maid 
was  inbred  to  Messenger.  Her  own  color  was  dark  bay, 
with  a  star  in  the  forehead,  and  a  little  white  in  the  heels 
behind.  She  stood  about  fifteen  hands  and  half  an  inch 
high,  and  was  low  at  the  withers.  She  was,  indeed,  remark- 
able fcr  her  great  height  behind,  as  compared  to  her  fore- 
hand ;  and  this  formation,  with  her  immense  loin,  which  was 


262  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

one  of  the  strongest  and  best  that  ever  was  seen,  tended 
greatly  to  give  her  the  long,  fast,  and  powerful  stroke  of 
which  she  was  capable.  She  had  a  great  reaching  stride, 
gathered  quick,  and  went  with  her  head  low.  Her  first  race 
after  Mr.  ]STodine  got  her  was  against  Lady  Vernon,  a  dap- 
ple-gray mare  belonging  to  Jacob  Soinerindyke.  She  was 
afterwards  sent  to  California.  Highland  Maid  beat  her  in 
three  heats,  the  time  of  which  was  2.34|,  2.36,  2.32£ 

The  matches  between  Highland  Maid  and  Flora  Temple 
were  in  harness  and  to  wagons.  The  first  was  trotted  on 
the  Centreville  Course,  June  15,  1853.  The  race  created  a 
great  deal  of  interest,  and  much  money  was  laid.  It  was 
said  that  Highland  Maid  had  been  tried,  and  found  to  be 
amazingly  fast.  I  have  since  been  told  that  the  time  of  her 
mile-trial,  a  week  before  the  race,  was  2m.  18s.  The  day 
was  very  fine,  —  a  real  June  day,  bright  and  warm,  but  not 
too  hot  for  pleasure.  The  crowd  at  the  course  was  immense  : 
a  greater  attendance  has  seldom  been  seen  there,  if  there 
ever  was.  Mr.  Nodine  drove  Highland  Maid,  and  I  drove 
Flora.  I  took  the  lead  in  the  first  heat,  and  kept  it  round 
the  turn  nearly  to  the  quarter-pole ;  then  Highland  Maid 
passed  me,  and  I  was  never  afterwards  able  to  head  her. 
She  won  the  heat  in  2m.  29s.,  and  both  seemed  to  me  to  be 
doing  about  all  they  were  capable  of. 

The  second  heat  was  very  similar  to  the  first,  but  faster. 
Flora  and  I  took  the  lead  again  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
mile,  and  then  Highland  Maid  came  on  with  an  irresistible 
stroke  and  passed  us.  I  pushed  her  all  I  could ;  and,  though 
she  won  it  in  2m.  27s.,  I  thought  I  detected  signs  of  her 
tiring.  The  mare  was  young.  She  had  trotted  but  one 
race  before.  She  had  a  trick  of  pacing ;  and  I  hoped  to  tire 
her  out,  and  make  her  change  her  gait  •  in  the  next  heat. 
The  odds  was  now  very  heavy  upon  her.  In  the  third  heat 
we  went  away  together  at  a  tremendous  pace,  and,  upon  the 
turn,  the  wheels  of  the  sulkies  hit.  The  spokes  flew,  and 
Highland.  Maid  went  up,  and  came  down  into  a  pace.  It 


THE   TROTTING-HOESE  OF  AMERICA.  2G3 

was  near  the  half-mile  before  Mr.  Nodine  got  her  settled  to 
trot  again.  When  he  did  so,  she  went  very  fast,  and  it 
looked  as  though  she  might  save  her  distance.  But  she  was 
tiring.  At  the  head  of  the  stretch,  she  broke  again,  fell  a- 
pacing,  and  was  distanced  in  2m.  32^s. 

A  great  row  followed.  Some  of  those  who  had  lost  their 
money  accused  Nodine  of  throwing  the  race,  and  threatened 
him  with  violence.  He  intended  to  claim  foul  driving 
against  me,  but  could  not  get  near  the  judges'  stand,  by 
reason  of  the  clamors  and  threats  of  those  who  had  lost  their 
money  on  Highland  Maid.  His  claim  would  not  have  been 
allowed,  I  think ;  and  Flora  would  have  beaten  Highland 
Maid  that  day,  even  if  she  had  saved  her  distance  in  the 
third  heat.  It  was,  however,  very  unjust  to  charge  Mr. 
Nodine  with  throwing  the  race.  The  truth  is,  that  the  mare 
tired,  and,  when  tired,  went  into  a  pace  as  soon  as  she  was 
forced  hard.  I  have  had  them  do  just  the  same  with  me 
when  the  race  seemed  to  be  all  but  won.  However,  the 
charges  of  those  who  had  lost  money,  and  the  prejudices  of 
the  public,  very  few  of  whom  knew  the  rights  of  it,  pre- 
vailed upon  Mr.  Nodine  to  get  George  Spicer  to  drive  High- 
land Maid  in  the  wagon-race.  It  came  off  on  the  Centre- 
ville  Course,  June  28,  only  two  days  before  Flora  trotted 
her  third  match  with  Black  Douglas.  I  thought  Flora  a 
better  mare  that  day  than  I  had  ever  seen  her  before.  Her 
races,  and  the  work  she  had  undergone,  had  done  her  good. 
It  was  always  one  of  her  great  qualities  that  she  would  train 
on  and  get  better,  when  thoroughly  hardened,  towards  the 
middle  and  close  of  the  season.  This  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  qualities  that  a  trotting-horse  can  have.  The 
greatest  excellence  in  trotting,  as  I  observed  at  the  begin- 
ning of  this  work,  is  only  to  be  reached  through  much  labor 
and  cultivation.  Now,  if  strong  work  at  a  few  sharp  races 
overdoes  a  horse  and  knocks  him  off,  it  is  a  great,  almost  an 
insurmountable,  obstacle  to  his  attaining  the  greatest  excel- 
lence, even  in  speed  for  a  mile. 


2G4  THE  TROTTIXG-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

When  I  got  into  the  wagon  to  drive  Flora  against  High- 
land Maid,  I  was  confident  that  I  had  the  bottom  and  reso- 
lute game  of  one  of  the  best  little  mares  in  the  world  to 
rely  upon,  and  consequently  I  determined  to  force  the  pace. 
We  went  away  together  with  a  grand  rush,  and,  on  the  turn, 
Highland  Maid  broke.  Spicer  got  Highland  Maid  to  her 
trot  again,  and  I  kept  the  pace  strong.  It  was  a  good  heat. 
The  Maid  was  unable  to  collar  Flora,  who  won  it  by  two 
lengths  in  2m.  28s.  That  was  much  the  best  time  that  had 
then  been  made.  The  fastest  time  to  wagon  previously  was 
2rn.  31s.  This  heat  in  2m.  28s.  was  three  seconds  better. 
It  is  true  that  Flora  afterwards  wiped  that  out,  and  went 
three  seconds  better  still ;  and  also  true  that  George  Wilkes 
has  since  equalled  her  wagon-time, —  2m.  '25s.  I  will  even 
state  my  confident  belief  that  Dexter  can  beat  that  quite 
handily ;  but,  nevertheless,  we  must  remember  that  this  race 
with  Highland  Maid  was  thirteen  years  ago,  and,  at  the  time, 
it  was  esteemed  a  wonderful  performance. 

In  the  second  heat,  Flora  did  not  do  so  well.  She  broke 
and  lost  a  deal  of  ground  at  the  outset.  Highland  Maid 
won  the  heat  very  handily  in  2m.  32s..  The  third  heat  was 
a  very  severe  one.  Soon  after  we  got  the  word,  Flora 
changed  her  leg,  and  tried  to  get  up ;  but  I  was  on  the  watch, 
and  nailed  her  in  time.  We  went  head  and  head  to  the 
quarter.  At  the  half-mile,  there  was  not  much  difference. 
On  the  lower  turn,  I  got  half  a  length  the  best  of  it ;  but 
somehow  or  another,  and  I  could  not  tell  just  how,  Flora 
broke  there  and  then,  and  Highland  Maid  showed  me  the 
back  of  her  wagon.  But,  when  Flora  got  down  again,  she 
made  a  very  hot  rush,  and  up  the  stretch  she  gained  on 
Highland  Maid.  Seeing  that  she  was  honest,  and  would 
stand  it,  I  gave  her  a  good  cut  with  the  whip  as  we  neared 
the  score.  She  darted  on  to  Highland  Maid;  and  they 
struggled  home  together,  making  it  a  dead  heat  in  2m.  32s. 

The  fourth  heat  was  unfavorable  to  us.  Flora  broke  twice. 
The  other  mare  trotted  steadily,  and  won  easily  in  2m.  33s. 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  2G5 

The  next  heat  was  another  good  one,  being  trotted  from  end 
to  end.  Flora  took  the  lead  at  the  start,  was  never  headed, 
and  won  in  2m.  31  |s. ;  but  Highland  Maid  trotted  exceed- 
ingly well,  and  hung  on  all  round  the  lower  turn  in  a  very 
game  manner.  But  she  was  younger  than  Flora,  and  not 
so  well  seasoned.  She  was  now  tired.  In  the  sixth  heat 
Flora  took  the  lead  from  the  start,  was  never  headed,  and 
won  easily  in  2m.  35s.  The  race  did  not  seem  to  have  much 
effect  upon  Flora  Temple.  Two  days  after  it,  she  beat  Black 
Douglas  easily  in  2m.  32s.,  2m.  32s.,  2m.  36s.  It  was  other- 
wise with  Highland  Maid.  She  was  not  herself  for  some 
time  afterwards ;  and  some  are  of  opinion  that  she  never 
altogether  recovered  from  its  effects.  This  mare  was  very 
highly  bred,  very  finely  put  together,  and  very  fast.  But 
she  was  an  unlucky  mare.  She  was  afterwards  matched 
with  Gray  Eddy,  and  lost  by  hitting  her  knee.  After  that 
wagon-race,  Flora  was  deemed  the  mistress  of  any  thing  out 
in  that  way  of  going. 


XXXII. 

flora  Temple  and  Tacony.  —  Description  of  Tacony.  —  Flora,  Green-Moun- 
tain Maid,  and  Lady  Vernon.  —  Description  of  Green-Mountain  Maid  — 
Flora  and  Rhode  Island.  —  Flora  goes  to  New  Orleans,  comes  back,  and 
is  purchased  by  Mr.  Pettee.  — Flora  and  Mac.  —  Flora  and  Jack  Waters. — 
Flora  and  Sontag.  —  Flora's  Match  Twenty  Miles  to  Wagon.  —  Flora  and 
Know-Nothing. — Description  of  Know-Nothing,  afterwards  Lancet. — Flora 
and  Lady  Franklin.  —  Flora  and  Chicago  Jack.  —  Flora,  Frank  Forrester, 
Chicago  Jack,  and  Miller's  Damsel. 

AS  soon  as  Flora  had  defeated  Highland  Maid  and 
Black  Douglas,  she  was  matched  against  Tacony, 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  the  race  to  come  off 
on  the  14th  of  July,  over  the  Union  Course.  Tacony  was 
a  roan  gelding,  bred  in  Canada.  His  reputation  was  high, 
but  more  particularly  as  a  saddle-horse.  He  had  trotted 
two  consecutive  heats,  that  way  of  going,  against  Mac,  in 
2m.  25  |s.  each.  The  match  created  a  vast  amount  of  interest. 
The  betting  ran  high,  and  it  was  about  even.  The  little 
mare  had  not  made  such  fast  time  as  Tacony:  but  the  heat 
of  2m.  28s.  to  wagon  was  thought  to  be  as  good  as  2m.  25£s. 
under  saddle;  and,  besides  this,  the  game  and  bottom  ex- 
hibited by  Flora  in  her  race  of  five  desperate  heats  wiili 
Highland  Maid,  and  then  in  her  contest  with  Black  Douglas 
only  two  days  thereafter,  had  inspired  her  friends  and  ad- 
mirers with  very  great  and  reasonable  confidence. 

The  attendance  at  the  course  was  large,  and  the  mare  had 
a  trifle  the  call  in  the  betting.  I  thought  well  of  her, 
although  she  did  not  exhibit  as  much  of  her  (Jash  and  devil 
in  scoring  as  I  had  sometimes  experienced.  The  result  con- 
vinced me  that  she  was  not  quite  up  to  the  marlj:,  The 


THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA.  267 

gelding  was  an  uncommon  good  horse  that  day,  and  he  won 
it  in  three  heats.  The  first  heat  was  a  close  and  desperate 
struggle.  Tacony  lead  about  a  length  to  the  quarter,  where 
the  mare  got  to  his  girths.  She  staid  there  for  half  a  mile, 
both  of  them  doing  their  best,  as  near  as  might  be.  At  the 
head  of  the  stretch  we  were  close  together.  Tacony  gained 
from  thence  to  the  draw-gate,  where  he  led  two  lengths.  But 
the  mare  answered  my  call,  and  darted  to  his  head.  It  was 
the  signal  for  a  great  shout  from  the  crowd ;  and,  just  at  that 
moment,  up  she  went.  Tacony  won  it  by  a  neck  in  2m.  28s. 
The  second  heat  was  faster,  closer,  and  harder  still ;  but  he 
won  it  in  2m.  27s.  The  third  heat  was  another  desperate 
struggle ;  and,  though  Flora  was  defeated,  it  was  only  by  a 
short  head  in  2m.  29s. 

Before  the  day  was  altogether  done,  we  matched  the 
horses  again,  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  to  trot  in  five  days. 
I  did  not  think  that  Flora  had  been  quite  at  her  best  that 
day ;  and,  though  it  had  been  a  hard,  up-hill  struggle  for  her, 
it  was  niy  opinion  that  she  would  recover  from  the  effects 
of  it  quite  as  soon  as  Tacony  would.  To  be  sure,  she  had 
been  beaten,  while  he  had  won  ;  but,  when  horses  trot  three 
very  close  heats,  it  takes  as  much  out  of  the  winner  as  it 
does  out  of  the  loser,  provided  the  loser  possesses  that  game- 
principle,  which,  instead  of  being  discouraged  by  defeat, 
rather  is  incited  to  put  the  matter  to  a  further  issue  and 
avenge  it.  She  was  then,  and  remained  to  the  last,  a 
wonderful  mare  to  "  come  again." 

I  liked  her  on  the  day  of  the  two-mile  race,  and  she  won 
it  easily  in  two  heats, — 4m.  59s.,  5m.  Is.  This  was  the 
best  two-mile  time  that  had  then  been  made.  Soon  after 
tli  at  race,  I  went  with  Flora  to  Saratoga,  where  she  beat 
Tacony,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  in  2m.  32s.,  2m. 
31s.,  2m.  32s.,  on  the  26th  of  July.  The  track  was  heavy. 
On  the  30th  we  were  at  it  again,  two-mile  heats  in  harness ; 
and  she  beat  the  roan  horse  in  5m.  4s.,  5m.  10 |s.  We 
then  went  on  to  Rochester,  where  Tacony  beat  Flora,  mile 


268  THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA. 

heats  in  harness,  but  was  himself  defeated  three  days  after- 
wards, to  wagons,  in  three  heats.  Utica  was  the  next  place ; 
and  there  Flora  heat  him  in  a  capital  race  of  three  straight 
heats,—  2.33|,  2.27,  2.28£.  The  mare  heat  him  again 
at  Saratoga,  and  at  Philadelphia  in  September.  She  then 
returned  home,  and  remained  until  October.  On  the  15th 
of  that  month  she  was  at  Philadelphia  again,  there  to  con- 
tend with  Green-Mountain  Maid  and  Lady  Vernon,  at  mile 
heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  for  a  purse  of  $1,000. 

Green-Mountain  Maid  was  a  mare  of  the  Messenger  blood 
on  the  sire'"s  side.  She  was  bred  in  the  Green  Mountains 
of  Vermont,  and  was  got  by  the  famous  horse  Harris's  Ham- 
bletonian  (also  called  Vermont  Hambletonian),  a  grandson 
of  Messenger.  It  is  not  known  what  her  dam  was.  Green- 
Mountain  Maid  herself  was  a  chestnut,  fifteen  three  inches 
scant,  very  long  in  the  body,  with  strong,  powerful  limbs 
and  large  quarters.  Her  shoulders  were  very  flat  and 
oblique,  running  right  back  to  the  saddle.  She  belonged  to 
Mr.  F.  J.  Nodine,  who  purchased  her  and  brought  her  to 
Brooklyn  in  the  fall  of  1851,  when  she  was  five  years  old. 
She  was  entered  in  six  or  seven  purses  and  stakes  the  next 
year ;  and  what  she  didn't  win,  she  received  forfeit  for.  At 
the  Centreville  Course,  in  the  following  year,  she  beat  Lady 
Brooks  in  four  heats  to  wagons.  The  best  time  was  2m. 
36s.  It  was  on  the  18th  of  April.  Three  days  afterwards 
she  beat  Kemble  Jackson,  in  a  desperate  race  of  five  heats 
to  wagons.  She  took  the  first  and  second ;  he  got  the  third  j 
the  fourth  was  dead ;  and  she  won  the  fifth.  Time,  2.47, 
2.50,  2.34,  2.36,  2.50. 

The  race  at  Philadelphia  resulted  in  a  victory  for  Flora. 
She  won  easily  in  2.33,  2.33£,  2.33}.  But  at  Eochester,  on 
the  1st  of  November,  Green-Mountain  Maid  succeeded  in 
reversing  the  verdict.  They  trotted  five  heats ;  and  the  big 
chestnut  mare  got  the  first,  third,  and  fifth.  The  time  was 
2.40,  2.35,  2.35,  2.36,  2.38.  The  two  mares  then  went  to 
Cincinnati,  and  I  did  not  accompany  Flora.  At  that  place, 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  269 

on  the  20th  of  November,  she  beat  Green-Mountain  Maid 
and  Rhode  Island,  and  afterwards  beat  the  latter  to  wagons. 
She  and  Rhode  Island  then  went  on  down  the  Ohio  River  to 
Louisville,  where  she  beat  him  again.  There  the  little  mare 
embarked  on  one  of  the  fine  steamers  which  ran  on  the 
Ohio  below  the  falls  and  down  the  Mississippi  to  New 
Orleans,  where  she  and  Green-Mountain  Maid  met  early 
in  January,  and  had  two  races,  one  in  harness,  the  other  to 
wagons.  Neither  of  these  races  was  very  fast.  Although 
the  mare  finished  in  January  at  New  Orleans,  her  races  there 
must  be  reckoned  as  part  of  her  performances  in  1863.  In 
that  year  she  trotted  twenty-one  races,  and,  out  of  the  whole 
number,  won  seventeen.  She  also  beat  all  the  horses  that 
beat  her,  and  beat  them  more  times  than  they  defeated  her. 

On  the  return  of  the  mare  to  New  York,  she  was  purchased 
by  D.  L.  Pettee,  Esq.,  who  was  then,  and  continues  to  be, 
one  of  the  ablest  and  most  highly  respected  of  those  distin- 
guished gentlemen  in  the  city  and  vicinity  of  New  York 
who  have  had  a  worthy  pride  in  the  possession  of  fast 
horses.  He  at  that  time  also  owned  Lady  Brooks ;  and  these 
mares  he  drove  at  Newport  during  the  season  of  1864,  at 
that  celebrated  seaside  resort.  When  he  returned  home,  he 
suffered  me  to  match  Flora  against  the  famous  brown 
gelding  Mac,  for  §1,000,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness. 
This  Mac  was  very  famous  for  his.  many  contests  with 
Tacony.  They  were  very  close  together  when  in  condition ; 
but  Mac  had  a  little  the  best  of  the  roan,  in  my  judgment, 
until  he  was  injured  by  over-driving,  and  got  "  the  thumps." 
Mac  was  about  fifteen  two,  and  came  originally  from 
Maine.  He  was  of  the  Maine-Messenger  blood.  John 
McArdle  owned  him.  He  had  twice  defeated  Lady  Suffolk, 
and,  when  matched  with  Flora,  was  thought  as  good  as  any 
thing  out.  But  the  mare  beat  him  with  great  ease  in  three 
heats.  Time,  2.31|,  2.32,  2.33.  That  race  was  on  the  5th 
of  October. 

On  the  18th  of  the  same  month,  Flora  trotted  a  match  for 


270  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

$2,000,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  against  Jack 
Waters.  This  Jack  Waters  was  a  bay  gelding  by  Old 
Abdallah.  He  was  about  fifteen  two,  —  a  long-tailed  horse. 
He  belonged  to  Mr.  Ben  Prince,  and  afterwards  went  to 
California.  Jack  was  very  fast,  but  he  was  a  delicate-con- 
stitutioned  horse ;  whereas  Flora  was  steel  and  whalebone, 
ami  nothing  could  make  her  give  out.  They  trotted  on  the 
Centreville  Course,  and  she  beat  him  in  three  heats  with  ease. 
Time,  2,33.  2,39.  2,37. 

Flora  Temple  now  changed  hands  again.  Mr.  James 
Irving  bough  ther,  and  intended  to  use  her  solely  for  trotting- 
races.  But,  like  her  former  owner,  he  found  the  demands  of 
business  incompatible  with  his  projected  operations,  and  sold 
her  to  Jas.  McMann.  Her  first  appearance  after  she  became 
the  property  of  Mr.  McMann  was  at  the  Union  Course,  on 
the  7th  of  May,  1855,  in  a  match  for  $2,000,  mile  heats, 
three  in  five,  against  the  famous  mare  Sontag.  It  was  to 
wagons  and  drivers  of  SOOlbs.  Sontag  was  a  gray  mare  by 
Vermont  Hambletonian,  who  was  also  called  Harris's  Hain- 
bletonian.  He  was  a  grandson  of  Messenger,  and  stood  in 
the  same  relation  to  him  that  Abdallah  did,  but  not  by  the 
same  line.  The  latter  came  through  Mambrino;  Harris's 
Hambletonian  through  the  Hambletonian,  of  whom  I  have 
heard  that  he  was  the  horse  bred  by  Gen.  Coles,  of  this 
Island,  and  run  by  him  as  Hambletonian.  Of  course  all 
these  horses  preceded  the  Hambletonian  of  our  day,  for 
whom  the  name  seems  to  have  been  adopted  from  the  other 
branch  of  the  Messenger  family.  None  of  them  are  related, 
except  through  distant  collaterals,  to  the  English  horse 
Hambletonian,  who  beat  Diamond  in  one  of  the  greatest 
matches  that  ever  was  run  in  England,  over  the  Beacon 
Course.  But  in  one  point  they  all  resemble  him,  —  they 
were  large,  strong,  bony  horses,  and  so  was  he ;  so  much  so, 
indeed,  that  the  jockey  who  rode  little  Diamond  exclaimed, 
as  I  have  heard,  "  This  looks  like  a  race  between  a  mare 
and  her  sucking  colt." 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  271 

Vermont  Hambletonian  was  the  sire  of  some  capital 
trotters  besides  Sontag.  Green-Mountain  Maid,  Gray  Ver- 
mont, True  John,  and  other  noted  horses,  proceeded  from 
him.  Sontag  was  about  fifteen  three,  —  a  long-tailed  mare. 
When  she  first  came  to  New  York,  at  five  years  old  or 
thereabouts  (it  is  not  always  very  easy  to  tell  their  ages 
precisely  some  time  afterwards),  she  was  a  pacer. 

In  this  race  against  Flora,  William  'Whelan  drove  the 
big  gray  mare,  and  Warren  Peabody  drove  Mora.  Sontag 
won  it  in  three  heats.  Time,  2.31,  2.33,  2.35.  Flora  was 
next  matched  to  trot  twenty  miles  within  an  hour,  to  a 
wagon,  for  $5,000.  The  only  horse  that  had  ever  trotted 
twenty  miles  in  an  hour  at  all  was  Trustee,  and  his  perfor- 
mance was  in  harness ;  therefore  I  do  not  think  this  was  a 
good  match  for  the  little  mare.  She  lost  it.  At  the  end  of 
the  eighth  mile,  she  threw  a  shoe  and  cut  herself;  and,  at  the 
end  of  the  twelfth  mile,  she  was  drawn.  The  truth  is,  that, 
in  dogging  along  mile  after  mile  for  twenty  times  round  the 
course,  many  horses  not  half  as  good  as  Flora  Temple  could 
do  what  she  could  not.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  she  might 
not,  under  some  conditions,  have  trotted  twenty  miles  in  an 
hour ;  but  that  kind  of  going  on,  in  a  tread-mill  sort  of  way, 
was  not  her  strong  point. 

That  same  year,  Lady  Fulton,  a  niare  much  inferior  to 
Flora,  trotted  twenty  miles  in  an  hour ;  and  the  lunatic  sort 
of  horse  Captain  McGowan  has  since  done  it. 

Flora  took  a  trip  to  Boston  after  her  race  against  time, 
and  there  went  a  match  for  $3,000,  over  the  Cambridge 
Course,  with  the  black  gelding  Know-No  thing,  who  was 
afterwards  more  famous  as  Lancet,  and  who  is  now  turned 
out  in  John  I.  Snediker's  pasture,  just  beyond  the  trees. 
Know-Nothing  is  said  to  have  been  a  son  of  Vermont  Black 
Hawk.  He  did  not  look  much  like  that  stock  then,  and  he 
looks  less  like  them  now.  He  was  and  is  a  very  long  horse, 
fifteen  three  in  height,  with  a  long  tail.  There  is  a  wiry, 
blood-like  look  about  him,  not  without  an  indication  of  tern- 


272  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

per.  His  rump  is  steep,  his  liips  are  wide  and  ragged,  and 
he  was  always  a  very  rapid  goer.  The  race  against  Flora 
was  mile  heats  in  harness.  She  beat  him  in  two  heats,  over 
a  heavy  track,  in  2.37,  2.43.  That  was  on  the  26th  of  June. 
When  Flora  came  home,  another  match  was  made  between 
her  and  Sontag,  to  be  trotted  on  the  6th  of  July,  over  the 
Union  Course.  It  was  two-mile  heats  to  wagons,  for 
$2,000.  This  was  the  first  time  of  my  driving  Flora  that 
year.  She  won  easily  in  two  heats,  — 5.07,  5.27.  Flora's 
next  race  was  against  Lady  Franklin,  who  was  then  in  my 
hands. 

She  was  a  roan  mare  from  Maine,  about  fourteen  three, 
with  a  long  tail.  Her  pedigree  was  not  known.  A  man 
named  Hayes  brought  her  here,  and  offered  to  sell  her  to 
Sim  Hoagland  for  $1,200.  Sim  took  her  to  the  course, 
drove  her  a  mile  in  2m.  36s.,  and  repeated  her  at  precisely 
the  same  rate.  He  would  of  course  have  bought  her ;  but  it 
happened  that  Capt.  Yeaton,  who  had  an  interest  in  her, 
had  come  on  the  course  during  the  trial  with  some  others, 
and  had  caught  her  time  in  the  repeating-mile.  When  Sim 
learned  this,  he  did  not  want  her.  Her  match  against  Flora 
was  two-mile  heats  to  wagons,  for  $2,000.  They  trotted 
over  the  Centreville,  Sept.  11.  Flora  won  it  in  two  heats, 
—  5.12^,  5.11^.  After  her  victory  over  Lady  Franklin 
on  the  llth  of  September,  Flora  trotted  mile  heats  in 
harness,  three  in  five,  on  the  17th,  against  Chicago  Jack 
and  Mac,  and  won  it  easily  in  three  heats.  Time,  2.29^., 
2.31fc  2.34. 

In  the  next  race  in  which  she  was  engaged,  I  had  Flora 
on  my  side  again.  It  was  two-mile  heats  to  wagons,  extra- 
weight,  —  wagons  and  drivers  2751bs.  There  were  four  en- 
gaged,— Flora  herself,  Frank  Forrester,  Chicago  Jack,  and 
Miller's  Damsel.  The  bay  gelding  Frank  Forrester,  who  was 
since  called  Ike  Cook,  was  got  by  Abdallah  (the  old  horse), 
while  he  stood  in  Kentucky.  Chicago  Jack  was  a  bay 
gelding,  fifteen  hands,  two  inches  scant.  He  belonged 


THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA.  273 

to  Gen.  Dunham,  and  was  a  stylish,  up-headed  horse. 
Miller's  Damsel  was  a  chestnut  mare,  with  three  white 
legs  and  a  hlaze  in  the  face.  She  belonged  to  Conkling 
Carl.  Her  sire  was  Emmons's  Jackson,  a  son  of  old 
Andrew  Jackson.  Of  these  four,  Flora  and  Frank  Forrester 
were  the  only  ones  that  appeared  on  the  20th  of  September. 
I  had  no  trouble  in  winning  it  with  Flora  in  5.15£,  5.17£. 
On  the  10th  of  October,  Frank  Forrester  paid  forfeit  to 
Flora  in  a  match  for  $2,000,  over  the  Union  Course.  On 
the  17th,  she  went  a  match  against  Hero  the  pacer,  for 
$2,000,  over  the  Centreville,  two-mile  heats,  she  in  harness, 
the  pacer  to  wagon.  The  mare  won  this  in  three  heats. 
Hero  got  the  first,  and  she  the  second  and  third.  Time, 
4.59,  4.57,  5.21£.  This  ended  Flora's  exploits  in  1855. 


13 


XXXIII. 

The  Time-Test.  —  Saddle-Horses.  —  Riders  of  Trotters.  —  Mace,  Murphy,  and 
Doble.  — Flora  and  Lancet.  —  Trusting  to  Trials.  —  Flora  and  Tacony.— 
Flora  distances  him  in  2m.  24£s.  —  The  True  Explanation  of  that  Heat.— 
Caution  to  Young  Drivers. 

IN  the  year  1856,  Flora  lay  by  without  a  match  until 
towards  the  last  of  June.  There  were  not  many  horses 
likely  to  dispute  the  palm  of  superiority  with  her ;  for, 
although  she  had  not  then  made  the  best  time  on  record,  she 
had  defeated  so  many  good  ones,  and  had  won  races  from  those 
whose  time  excelled  hers  with  such  ease,  that  in  every  thing 
but  the  time-test  she  was  already  at  the  head  of  the  trotting- 
turf.  Time,  no  doubt,  is  a  very  good  test,  as  far  as  it  goes ; 
but  it  is  not  the  only  test.  There  commonly  has  to  be  a  con- 
junction of  favorable  circumstances  in  order  to  enable  a  horse 
or  horses  to  make  extraordinary  time.  Therefore,  when  it  is 
found  that  one  who  has  not  made  such  time  can  beat  those 
who  have,  race  after  race,  all  of  them  being  apparently  in 
good  condition,  a  reasonable  presumption  is  raised  that  the 
trotter  in  question  will,  at  no  distant  day,  beat  the  time 
at  the  head  of  the  record,  as  well  as  the  horses  who  made  it. 
At  this  period,  —  the  summer  of  1856,  —  I  had  for  some  time 
entertained  the  conviction  that  Flora  Temple  would  surpass 
all  that  Lady  Suffolk  and  Tacony  had  done  under  saddle 
by  making  faster  time  in  harness.  Every  thing  indicated 
such  a  result ;  but  I  was  not  then  prepared  to  say  that  we 
should  see  it  done  that  year.  Her  first  match  in  1856  was 
with  Chicago  Jack,  the  horse  mentioned  in  the  last  chapter 
as  belonging  to  Gen.  Dunham,  a  very  worthy  and  enter- 

274 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE   OF  AMERICA.  275 

prising  man,  known  East  and  West.  In  the  spring,  Jack 
had  met  and  defeated  Know-Nothing,  who  was  now  called 
Lancet,  in  a  race  at  Boston,  under  saddle.  There  were  four 
heats  in  it,  and  two  of  them  were  trotted  in  2.27^. 

The  match  between  Flora  Temple  and  Jack  was  mile 
heats,  three  in  five,  for  $1,000 ;  he  under  saddle,  and  she  in 
harness.  When  a  horse  is  clever  under  the  saddle,  it  is  a 
better  and  faster  way  of  going  than  in  harness  ;  yet  there 
are  many  horses  as  fast  in  harness  as  they  are  under  the 
saddle,  and  some  a  good  deal  faster.  There  are,  however, 
but  few  that  would  not  have  been  faster  under  saddle  than 
in  harness,  provided  they  had  had  a  good  share  of  saddle- 
work  during  that  period  of  breaking  and  formation  which 
is  necessarily  extended  in  the  trotting-horse.  We  very 
often,  now-a-days,  see  horses  trot  fast  in  harness  and  to 
wagon,  that  never  have  a  saddle  on  their  backs,  and  that  are 
never  ridden,  except  at  walking-exercise  or  to  the  black- 
smith-shop. The  presumption  is,  that  these  horses  would 
have  been  faster  under  saddle  than  they  are  in  harness,  if 
they  had  been  accustomed  to  trot  under  the  saddle.  At  the 
same  time,  there  are  horses  whose  make  and  character  is 
such  that  saddle-work  does  not  suit  them.  They  have,  com- 
monly, weak  backs  and  bad  shoulders ;  arid  the  weight  on 
their  backs  tires  them  behind,  and  runs  them  into  the 
ground  forward. 

There  may,  however,  be  a  perfectly-shaped  horse  so  far  as 
the  eye  can  perceive,  and  yet  he  will  not  trot  as  well  under 
the  saddle  as  in  harness.  A  great  want  of  steadiness  is 
sometimes  found  in  horses  under  the  saddle,  whose  speed  in 
that  way  of  going  is  very  great ;  and  the  reason  is,  I 
believe,  that  the  horse  is  not  ridden  sufficiently  to  become 
thoroughly  at  home  in  that  way  of  going.  Of  late  years 
the  great,  almost  the  only,  object  of  desire,  in  regard  to  a 
trotter,  has  been  that  he  should  be  fast  in  harness.  The 
saddle  has  been  neglected,  but  it  is  now  coming  into  its  use 
again.  Dan  Mace,  John  Murphy,  and  Budd  Doble  have 


276  THE   TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA. 

given  specimens  of  saddle-horsemanship  which  remind  the 
old  frequenters  of  the  trotting-turf  of  the  days  when  my 
uncle,  George  Woodruff,  used  to  ride  against  Peter  Whelan, 
or  of  those  races  in  which  I  used  to  ride  against  William 
Whelan  and  others.  Flora  herself  never  was  a  saddle- 
mare  ;  and  yet  I  think  no  man  can  look  over  her,  and  point 
out  any  defect  of  conformation  as  the  reason  wl^.  It  must 
have  been,  in  her  case,  a  want  of  education  under  the  saddle, 
and  that  deficiency  was  greatly  to  be  regretted. 

The  race  between  her  and  Chicago  Jack  came  off  over 
the  Centreville  Course  on  the  24th  of  June.  The  mare 
was  the  favorite,  and  won  easily  in  three  straight  heats 
of  exactly  2m.  30s.  each.  The  victory  over  Chicago  Jack 
was  not  so  much  considered  by  the  thoughtful  as  the  fact 
that  Flora  trotted  the  second  quarter  of  the  last  heat  at 
the  rate  of  2m.  20s.,  and  seemed  to  be  going  within  herself. 

Her  next  match  was  against  Lancet,  for  $1,000  a  side, — 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  made  for  the  second  of 
July.  Flora  had  beaten  the  gelding  with  great  ease,  at  Bos- 
ton, the  year  before ;  but  since  then  his  friends  had  become 
exceedingly  confident  by  reason  of  the  time  he  had  shown 
in  a  private  trial.  Now,  such  trials  are  useful  enough  as 
indicating  what  the  horse  may  be  expected  to  do  under 
certain  circumstances ;  and  a  first-rate  trial  affords  very 
strong  presumption  that  a  trotter  is  in  the  course  of  im- 
provement. But,  in  making  matches,  the  public  doings  of 
the  horse,  unless  he  has  been  out  of  condition,  or  has  been 
pulled,  afford  a  far  safer  guide  for  his  owner  and  trainer 
than  trials  do.  To  follow  one  particular  trial  is  a  will-o'-the- 
wisp  sort  of  business,  and  people  are  thereby  often  led  deep 
into  boggy  ground.  The  horse  gets  beat  every  heat  in  time 
that  is  not  any  thing  like  as  good  as  the  trial  was ;  and  then 
there  is  much  marvel  and  lamentation,  to  say  nothing  of 
something  stronger,  over  a  result  which  the  whole  history 
of  the  turf,  running  as  well  as  trotting,  might  have  led  us 
to  expect.  In  this  match,  the  public  turned  a  deaf  ear  to 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  277 

all  that  was  whispered  about  the  wonderful  trial,  and  wisely 
stuck  to  Flora,  who  had  on  so  many  notable  occasions  stuck 
to  them.  She  was  backed  at  four  to  one ;  and,  when  the  time 
for  starting  came,  Lancet  paid  forfeit.  They  then  trotted 
for  the  gate-money ;  and  the  mare  won  it  in  3  heats,  2m. 
30£s.,  2m.  30s.,  2m.  29s. 

After  Lancet's  race,  Tacony  came  forward  again  to  try 
conclusions  with  Flora.  The  race  was  mile  heats,  on  the 
Union  Course,  July  22d,  the  roan  under  saddle  and  the 
little  mare  in  harness.  Tacony  won  the  first  heat  in  2m. 
31 1 s. ;  but  Flora  took  the  second  and  third  in  2m.  28s.,  2m. 
29 |s.  Another  match  was  now  made  between  the  mare  and 
Lancet,  for  $1,000  a  side,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  he  under 
saddle,  and  the  mare  in  harness.  This  match  was  made  for 
the  Fashion  Course,  then  new,  and  constructed  for  running- 
horses.  The  deep  ground  was  a  great  disadvantage  to  Flora 
with  the  wheels  behind  her;  and  the  gelding  won  it  in  three 
heats  of  2m.  29s.,  2m.  29s.,  2m.  30s. 

In  old  times,  there  used  to  be  a  way  of  fighting  among 
boys,  in  which  some  youth,  of  uncommon  handiness  with  the 
fists  and  hardiness  of  courage  and  endurance,  would  contend 
with  two.  They  were  never  to  be  at  him  both  at  one  time ; 
but,  as  soon  as  one  was  knocked  down  or  thrown,  the  other 
could  rush  in,  and  carry  on  the  battle.  This  was  called 
"  one  down  and  the  other  come  on ; "  and  the  doings  between 
Lancet,  Tacony,  and  Flora  Temple  greatly  resembled  it. 
After  the  trial  at  the  Fashion  Course,  it  was  Tacony's  turn 
again.  A  match  was  made  between  him  and  Flora,  in 
which  she  was  to  pull  a  wagon,  and  he  was  to  go  under  sad- 
dle. This  was  very  great  odds  for  the  mare  to  give,  and 
the  match  was  never  trotted.  A  new  one  was  made  for 
$500  a  side,  to  trot  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  on  the  Union 
Course,  Sept.  2d,  Tacony  under  saddle  and  the  mare  in  har- 
ness. 

The  mare  was  a  strong  favorite  in  this  race,  odds  of -a 
hundred  to  thirty  being  laid  upon  her  at  the  start.  She 


278  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

fully  justified  the  confidence  of  her  backers ;  and  I  might 
dismiss  the  subject  by  saying  that  she  distanced  Tacony  the 
first  heat.  But  this  was  a  very  remarkable  race,  inasmuch 
as  Flora  surpassed  in  it  any  time  that  had  been  made  before, 
either  under  saddle  or  otherwise.  It  was  also  the  last  race 
in  which  I  drove  her ;  and  it  was  made  a  matter  of  accusa- 
tion against  me  that  I  had  distanced  Tacony,  and  purposely 
exposed  the  fast  time  of  which  Flora  Temple  was  capable. 
Impartial  and  intelligent  people,  as  well  as  those  who  were 
interested,  and  so  perhaps  not  quite  impartial,  believed  this. 
It  was  so  set  down  in  the  contemporaneous  accounts  of  the 
press ;  and  yet  it  was  not  true.  I  might  have  contradicted 
it  through  the  "  Spirit  of  the  Times  "  at  that  period,  but  I 
did  not  do  so  ;  and  many  believe  to  this  day  that  I  purposely 
drove  the  mare  to  the  full  extent  of  her  capacity  on  that 
occasion. 

Now,  nothing  is  further  from  the  truth.  I  have  never  in 
my  life  lost  a  heat  purposely  that  I  could  have  won  without 
what  I  deemed  might  be  too  great  an  effort  for  safety  in  the 
race  ;  and  I  have  never,  on  the  other  hand,  exposed  all  that 
any  horse  was  capable  of,  unless  it  was  necessary.  In  the 
race  between  Flora  and  Tacony,  the  condition  of  the  mare 
was  very  fine,  and  her  speed  very  great.  She  darted  away, 
and  was  soon  in  the  lead  some  three  or  four  lengths.  I 
pulled  her  hard  round  the  turn  up  the  hill,  and  she  was 
thirty-seven  seconds  in  going  to  the  quarter.  On  the  second 
quarter,  along  the  backstretch,  she  was  under  a  strong  pull 
all  the  way,  and  did  it  in  36s.,  the  half  mile  being  trotted 
in  1m.  13s.  All  this  time  the  mare  was  well  within  herself, 
fully  collected,  and  pulling  very  hard.  She  had  trotted  a 
second  quarter  in  a  third  heat  in  June,  when  she  was  green, 
it  being  her  first  race  that  year,  in  thirty-five  seconds.  She 
was  now  well  seasoned,  in  splendid  speed  and  wind,  and  full 
of  ardor  and  determination.  She  went  into  the  third  quar- 
ter, where  there  is  a  little  descent,  with  such  speed  and  reso- 
lution that  I  deemed  it  unsafe  to  pull  her  any  harder  than 


THE  TROTTING-nORSE  OF  AMERICA.  279 

I  was  doing.  I  could  have  pulled  her  back,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  unless  the  bit  or  the  reins  had  given  way ;  but  it 
was  my  judgment  then,  and  is  now,  that,  if  I  had  done  so, 
it  would  have  been  at  great  risk  of  tangling  her  all  up,  and 
perhaps  causing  her  to-  hit  herself.  The  mare  was  so  full 
of  resolution,  and  pulling  so  hard,  that  the  only  safe  plan 
was  to  let  her  go,  in  a  fair  degree.  I  did  so ;  and  the  conse- 
quence was,  that  she  trotted  the  heat  in  2m.  24^s.,  and  Tac- 
ony  was  outside  the  distance-flag  by  a  long  way. 

I  have  not  entered  into  this  explanation,  years  after  the 
matter  occurred,  and  when  it  has  been  by  the  public  almost 
if  not  entirely  forgotten,  with  a  view  to  defend  myself,  but 
for  another  purpose,  or  rather  two  purposes.  One  of  them  is, 
to  show  that  Flora  Temple  could  then,  upon  that  second  day 
of  September,  1856,  have  trotted  a  mile  as  fast  as  she  ever 
afterwards  trotted  one  on  that  course,  which  was  2m.  21s. 
I  am  quite  confident  that  I  could  have  driven  her  that  day 
in  that  time.  If  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  drive  her  so 
as  to  expose  all  she  knew,  it  is  hardly  credible  that  I  should 
have  held  her  back  to  the  rate  of  2m.  28s.  to  the  mile  for 
the  first  quarter,  and  2rn.  26s.  to  the  mile  for  the  first  half. 
The  truth  is,  that  the  mare  was  always  under  a  good,  strong 
pull  from  first  to  last ;  and  there  never  was  a  rood,  even  in 
the  last  half-mile  in  1m.  11  ^s.,  when  she  was  at  her  best. 
She  was,  as  a  matter  of  course,  as  near  her  best  as  she  could 
get  with  the  strain  I  had  upon  her.  But  her  mouth  was 
wide-open  all  the  way ;  and,  if  her  ears  were  at  any  time  laid 
flat  back,  it  was  because  she  was  pulling  with  all  her  power, 
and  not  because  she  was  trotting  with  all  the  speed  of  which 
she  was  capable. 

As  I  have  before  intimated,  I  fully  believe  that  I  could 
have  driven  her  that  day  in  2m.  21s. ;  and  I  think  it  probable 
that  she  might  even  have  got  home  in  2m.  20s.  The  other 
purpose  of  this  explanation  was,  a  caution  to  young  drivers 
against  pulling  trotters  out  of  their  stride  when  they  are 
trotting  very  fast,  and  going  up  to  the  bit  with  uncommon 


280  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

force  and  resolution.  A  great  deal  of  mischief  may  result 
from  such  a  course.  It  hurts  the  temper ;  it  destroys  the 
steadiness ;  it  tends  to  break  up  a  good,  lasting  gait.  There 
are  other  evils  to  be  apprehended  from  such  a  course.  I 
could  name  several  trotters,  of  very  great  speed  and  power, 
who  were  prevented  from  reaching  the  excellence  they  might 
otherwise  have  attained,  by  that  means.  The  horse  is  a  very 
intelligent  animal.  His  disposition  is  to  do  about  his  best 
when  in  company ;  and  if  he  finds,  that,  whenever  he  is  about 
to  do  his  best,  he  is  suddenly  hauled  and  yanked  so  as  to 
break  up  his  stride  and  gait,  he  is  not  likely  to  forget  that 
fact. 


XXXIV. 

Flora  and  Lancet.  —  The  Morgan  Horses.  — Ethan  Allen.  — His  Breeding. 
—  His  Produce.  —  Flora  and  Ethan  Allen.  —  Flora's  Winter-Quarters.  — 
Flora  and  Rose  of  Washington.  —  Want  of  Condition  sure  to  beat  any 
thing.  —  Value  of  a  race  in  Public  to  produce  Condition. 

IT  is  my  belief,  that,  when  Flora  Temple  distanced  Tacony 
in  2m.  24|s.,  she  had  about  reached  her  greatest  excel- 
lence. It  is  true  that  she  trotted  faster  afterwards  upon 
the  same  course ;  and  that  race  in  which  she  beat  Geo.  M. 
Patchen,  in  three  heats,  was  one  of  the  very  best  she  ever 
made.  But,  as  I  observed  in  the  preceding  chapter,  she 
could  have  gone  in  2m.  20s.,  or  thereabouts,  in  the  race  with 
Tacony.  She  was  then  eleven  years  old,  thoroughly 
matured,  with  a  constitution  that  nothing  could  surpass, 
and  none  of  her  vigor  at  all  impaired.  She  was  younger  at 
that  time  in  strength  and  vigor  than  many  colts  are  at  three 
and  four  years  old.  She  did  not  long  remain  idle ;  for  a 
match  was  made  between  her  and  Lancet,  for  a  thousand 
dollars  a  side,  he  to  go  under  saddle  and  she  in  harness. 
The  place  was  the  Centreville  Course ;  the  day,  the  30th  of 
September. 

It  was  made  rain  or  shine  ;  and  the  backers  of  the  gelding 
found  to  their  huge  delight,  when  they  got  up  in  the  morn- 
ing, that  it  blew  great  guns  and  rained  hard.  This  was 
very  disadvantageous  for  Flora.  The  south  side  of  Long 
Island  is  a  very  wet  place  in  wet  weather.  The  sea-mist 
comes  up  along  with  the  gale  and  the  rain,  and  sets  every 
thing  so  much  a-drip  that  it  seems  as  if  the  island  was  afloat, 
and  about  to  shove  off  into  the  bay.  It  was  as  bad  a  day 

281 


282  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

for  a  race  as  ever  was  seen ;  and,  when  the  little  mare  came 
on  the  course  in  her  sulky,  the  wind  seemed  fit  to  catch  her 
up,  and  hear  her  away  over  the  tree-tops.  The  hlack  gelding 
went  sloshing  along  through  the  mud  as  if  he  liked  it.  The 
mare  got  off  badly  in  the  first  heat,  and  lost  about  twenty 
lengths  by  a  break.  She  was  commonly  a  very  good  mare  for 
mud;  but,  on  this  occasion,  the  wind  and  rain  combined 
seemed  to  be  too  much  for  her.  Lancet  went  to  the  half- 
mile  in  1m.  11s.,  Flora  trotted  very  fast  after  she  got 
settled,  but  could  not  overtake  Lancet,  who  won  it 
easily  in  2m.  28s.  Odds  of  two  to  one  was  then  laid 
upon  Lancet,  and  there  were  many  takers.  The  second 
heat  was  very  close,  but  the  gelding  won  by  a  head  in 
2m.  28s.  Still  Lancet  had  more  in  him,  and,  in  the  third 
heat,  let  out  the  links  in  such  a  manner  that  he  trotted  it 
in  2m.  25-is. 

Considering  the  day  and  the  state  of  the  course,  this  was 
a  performance  of  very  great  merit.  It  put  Lancet,  as  a 
saddle-horse,  up  to  Tacony  and  Lady  Suffolk  in  regard  to 
time ;  and  ahead  of  them,  in  the  consideration  that  the 
course  was  muddy  and  the  wind  strong.  At  this  time, 
many  thought  than  Lancet  was  the  "  coming  horse,"  and 
believed  that  he  would  succeed  in  deposing  Flora,  and  set- 
ting the  trotting-crown  upon  his  own  brow.  But  I  never 
thought  so. 

Another  match  was  made  between  them,  both  to  go  in 
harness ;  and,  as  the  proprietor  of  the  Fashion  Course  added 
$1,500  to  the  stakes,  it  was  agreed  to  trot-  on  that  course. 
The  Lancet  party  believed  that  he  would  get  through  the 
new,  deep  ground  better  than  Flora ;  but  her  friends  relied 
upon  her  game  and  bottom  to  pull  through.  The  mare  was 
the  favorite  in  the  betting,  and  won  the  race  very  easily  in 
three  heats,  the  fastest  of  which  was  2m.  31s.  This  was  on 
the  8th  of  October. 

Their  next  engagement  was  at  Boston,  where  the  little 
mare  was  always  a  great  favorite.  Nowhere  in  this  country 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  283 

is  there  a  better  class  of  gentlemen  taking  interest  in  the 
contests  of  the  trotting-turf  than  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Boston.  The  Eastern  States  have  also  been  a  fine  nursery 
for  trotting-horses.  The  fine  action  of  the  Morgan  breed, 
and  their  good  tempers  and  sound  constitutions,  helped  a 
great  deal ;  but  New  England  was  still  more  largely  indebted 
to  the  two  sons  of  Messenger,  —  Hamiltonian  and  the  Bush 
Messenger:  I  mean  the  one  that  went  to  Maine.  There 
were,  as  I  have  been  informed,  several  Bush  Messengers. 
One  of  them  was  owned  by  Philo  C.  Bush,  the  race-horse  man ; 
but  that  was  not  the  one  that  furnished  Maine  with  good 
trotting-blood. 

The  race  between  Flora  Temple  and  Lancet  at  Boston 
was  witnessed  by  about  thirty  thousand  people,  it  being  at 
the  Agricultural  Fair.  She  won  it  in  three  heats,  and  the 
best  of  thein  was  2m.  36|s.  It  was  to  be  regretted  that 
Lancet  was  unable  to  make  Flora  do  better  on  this  occasion, 
as  there  was  such  a  vast  attendance.  Just  before  that,  the 
famous  little  horse  Ethan  Allen  had  added  largely  to  his 
fame  by  beating  Hiram  Drew;  and  now  a  match  was  talked 
of  between  him  and  Flora  Temple.  He  stood  very  high 
in  the  New-England  States,  because  he  was  the  chief  rep- 
resentative of  the  Morgan  line,  and  also  the  fastest  stallion 
that  had  then  been  trained.  Ethan  Allen  is  a  small  but 
beautifully-built  horse.  He  is  a  very  rapid  goer,  and  his 
action  and  style  are  as  near  perfection  as  can  be  conceived ; 
but  he  always  had  a  trifling  objection  to  weight,  and -to  a 
long  distance.  He  was  one  of  the  early-maturing  trotters ; 
and  his  first  race  was  with  Smith  Burr's  Eose  of  Washing- 
ton, at  four  years  old.  He  beat  the  filly ;  but  I  have  heard 
Mr.  Burr  declare  that  he  afterwards  found  out  that  Ethan 
was  a  year  older  than  she  was.  He  was  bred  in  the  north 
part  of  this  State  by  Joel  Holcomb,  who  owned  him,  in  con- 
junction with  Mr.  Eoe,  for  some  years.  Mr.  Eoe  has  always 
said  that  he  was  got  by  Hill's  Black  Hawk ;  but  many  have 
stoutly  maintained  that  his  sire  was  a  colt  called  Flying 


284  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

Morgan.  I  have  seen  it  stated  in  Herbert's  book  on  the 
horse,  that  Ethan  Allen  was  got  by  Morgan  Black  Hawk. 
Now,  there  never  was  any  stallion  called  Morgan  Black 
Hawk ;  but  there  was  Hill's  Black  Hawk  and  Flying  Mor- 
gan, who  were  different  stallions  on  the  same  farm.  Ethan's 
dam  was  a  gray  mare  of  the  Messenger  strain.  He  has 
been  a  very  good,  enduring  little  horse,  and  especially  great 
for  his  knack  at  going  with  a  running-mate. 

The  last  appearance  of  Flora  in  public  —  that  is,  in  a  race ; 
for  she  appeared  since  on  the  grand  day  at  Peter  Dubois' 
track,  when  all  the  famous  trotters  in  these  parts  went  up 
to  be  reviewed  by  Gen.  Grant  —  was  going  against  Ethan 
Allen  and  his  mate  Socks.  Ethan  Allen  has  been  more 
successful  at  the  stud  than  many  people  are  willing  to  con- 
cede. His  son  Honest  Allen  is  a  fast  trotter.  The  mare 
Young  Pocahontas  is  a  wonder.  She  is  as  beautiful  as 
Ethan  Allen  was  himself  in  his  prime ;  and  it  is  my  opinion 
that  the  famous  old  pacing-mare  has  put  her  own  staying 
stuff  into  the  young  one.  I  saw  Young  Pocahontas  trot  at 
Boston  on  the  day  that  Mr.  Bonner  bought  her,  and  liked 
her  way  of  going  very  much.  Then  there  is  an  uncommon 
good  mare  got  by  Ethan  Allen,  called  Fanny  Allen ;  and 
others  I  might  mention. 

But,  to  return  to  the  match  between  Flora  Temple  and 
Ethan  Allen :  it  was  first  set  down  to  come  off  on  the  28th 
of  October,  but  the  weather  just  before  that  was  so  bad  that 
they  put  the  race  off  until  the  5th  of  November.  The  day 
was  cold,  and  the  wind  gusty  and  raw ;  but  nevertheless  some 
thousands  of  people,  including  many  ladies,  attended  to 
witness  the  contest  between  the  handsome  bay  stallion  and 
the  beautiful  bay  mare.  They  were  a  well-matched  and 
a  very  comely  pair.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  symmetry  of 
form  displayed  by  Ethan  Allen  some  ten  years  ago.  Flora 
Temple  was  a  little  more  angular,  but  her  points  were  amaz- 
ingly strong  and  good.  She  was  very  powerful  behind,  with 
a  splendid  shoulder  and  long  carcass.  I  pay  no  attention  to 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  285 

the  views  of  those  who  say  that  a  trotter  should  be  straight 
in  the  shoulder  and  short  in  the  carcass.  The  best  trotters 
that  I  have  ever  known  were  not  "  punched-up  "  horses, 
but  the  reverse.  In  length,  the  mare  had  the  advantage  of 
Ethan  Allen :  she  was,  in  fact,  a  very  long  mare  for  her 
inches,  and  a  large  one  too.  She  was  the  favorite  in  this 
race  at  long  odds,  and  won  it  easity  in  2m.  32|s.,  2m.  36^s., 
pulled  all  the  way.  That  finished  her  trotting  for  the  year 
1856. 

She  wintered  at  Holmdell,  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey, 
where  Mr.  Francis  Morris  breeds  his  race-horses.  His 
trainer,  Mr.  Chas.  Lloyd,  used  to  have  the  mare  every  winter 
for  some  years ;  and  capital  care  he  bestowed  upon  her.  She 
would  come  out  all  blooming  in  the  spring,  and  be  ready  to 
trot  a  good  stout  race  after  a  few  brushes.  It  makes  a 
great  difference  to  the  trainer  whether  a  trotter  has  been 
wintered  well,  or  merely  suffered  to  get  fat  and  lazy  during 
the  resting-months.  But  that  time  Flora  was  wintered,  and 
summered  too,  in  Jersey ;  for  she  remained  at  Holmdell  until 
July,  and,  when  matched,  was  brought  over  at  a  few  days' 
notice  to  trot.  Her  opponent  was  Hose  of  Washington, 
the  one  bred  by  Smith  Burr  away  down  on  the  Island 
here,  and  beaten  in  her  first  race  by  Ethan  Allen,  at 
four  years  old.  She  was  got  by  old  Washington,  and  was 
now  a  good  mare.  She  was  not,  however,  good  enough  for 
Flora  on  equal  terms ;  and  so,  when  we  made  the  match,  we 
stipulated  that  the  latter  should  pull  a  wagon.  I  knew 
that  Eose  was  a  good  mare.  I  had  beat  Brown  Dick  a 
heat  with  her  to  wagon  in  2m.  3l£s.  in  May.  Then,  in 
June,  she  beat  Tacony  under  saddle,  in  2.30,  2.31,  and  had 
in  the  mean  time,  between  those  races,  defeated  O'Blenis, 
two-mile  heats. 

But,  for  all  that,  I  would  not  have  advised  the  matching 
of  her  against  Flora,  if  I  had  not  believed  that  condition 
could  not  but  be  in  Rose's  favor.  She  had  trotted  all  the 
spring,  had  done  plenty  of  work,  and  had  performed  well  in 


286  THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

public.  She  was  seasoned,  and  fit  for  the  exertion  of  all  her 
powers.  Flora  was  not  fit  to  exert  hers.  In  the  nature  of 
things  she  could  not  be.  But  still  she  was  the  favorite  in 
the  betting,  and  a  capital  chance  was  afforded  to  win  money. 
It  was  a  hundred  to  seventy-five  on  her ;  but  she  acted  so  in 
scoring,  that  Rose  was  backed  at  nearly  even  before  we  got 
the  word.  We  got  away  together  in  the  first  heat ;  and 
Flora  tried  to  head  me,  and  take  the  pole.  I  was  glad  to 
Bee  her  rushing  off  as  hard  as  she  could  go ;  for,  in  her  con- 
dition, that  was  just  the  way  for  her  to  lose  it.  She  got 
half  a  length  ahead  of  Hose  on  the  turn,  and  then  went  all 
fo  pieces.  That  burst  had  settled  her.  At  the  quarter,  I 
led  her  a  length,  and,  at  the  half-mile  pole,  was  five  or  six 
in  front.  Hose  won  it  easily  in  2m.  30|s. 

The  second  heat  was  all  one  way  :  Rose  won  it  easily  in 
2.39.  Tallnian  then  got  in  to  drive  Flora,  at  the  importunity 
of  those  who  had  backed  her  at  the  long  odds.  But  it  made 
no  difference  who  drove  her :  the  evil  was  not  in  the  driving, 
but  in  the  want  of  condition  in  the  mare.  She  trotted  a 
quarter  with  Rose  in  the  third  heat  pretty  well,  and  then 
broke  up,  and  disappeared  from  my  view.  I  beat  her  about 
fifty  yards  in  2m.  37-|s.  It  is  almost  unnecessary  to  say  that 
it  was  not  Flora  Temple  who  was  beaten  that  day  by  Rose 
of  Washington.  Flora,  coming  from  Lloyd's  hands  after 
one  of  her  usual  winterings,  could  commonly  trot  with  a 
short  preparation  —  but  she  wanted  some  preparation. 
And  there  remained  the  fact  that  she  had  been  at  Holmdell 
not  merely  in  the  winter-season,  but  for  above  seven  months. 
She  was  in  no  condition,  and  •!  knew  it.  With  all  her 
excellence,  she  was  subject  to  the  same  laws  of  nature  as 
other  horses;  and  I  have  never  had,  or  read,  or  heard  of  one 
that  want  of  condition  would  not  beat,  if  the  opponent 
could  only  force  the  pace,  and  keep  it  strong.  Charges  were 
made  by  some,  that  Flora's  owner  had  had  her  defeated  on 
purpose ;  but  they  were  very  unjust.  His  only  fault  was 
overweening  confidence  in  his  own  mare,  and  an  underesti- 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  287 

mate  of  Rose.  A  match  for  a  thousand  dollars,  Flora  in 
harness  and  Rose  under  saddle,  was  still  pending  between 
the  mares.  The  former  race  came  off  on  the  8th  of  July ; 
the  second  was  on  the  20th.  Meantime,  Flora  had  been 
doing  good  work,  and  had  beat  Belle  of  Portland  two-mile 
heats.  That  race  was,  without  doubt,  of  much  service  to 
her. 

I  think,  that,  when  a  trainer  has  a  horse  of  fine  pluck  and 
good  constitution,  a  race  or  two  in  public  does  as  much  or 
more  than  weeks  of  preparation  towards  the  production  of 
good  condition.  The  bustle  and  the  shouting,  and  the  being 
brought  into  the  midst  of  crowds  of  people,  stirs  the  blood, 
and  acts  upon  the  nervous  system  ;  besides  which,  the  race 
demands  some  sort  of  exertion  that  a  trainer  would  not  be  apt 
to  employ  in  the  regular  work.  In  regard  to  training,  I  ven- 
true  to  lay  this  down  as  a  rule,  that  a  good  stout  horse  is  never 
got  to  his  best  until  he  has  been  ridden  or  driven  so  as  to  be 
tired  a  few  times.  And  here  is  the  distinction  between 
stout,  aged  horses  and  young  colts.  The  latter  should  never 
be  driven  to  the  extent  of  getting  tired :  the  former  will 
never  be  got  into  their  best  condition  until  they  have  been 
tired  often.  But  still  the  treatment,  and  the  extent  to  which 
the  work  must  be  carried,  will  vary  with  each  particular 
horse ;  and  in  this  it  is  that  the  trainer  must  exercise  judg- 
ment. If  all  horses  were  alike  in  character,  health,  consti- 
tution, and  ability,  precise  rules  could  be  laid  down  for 
training ;  for  what  had  produced  a  good  effect  in  one  case 
would  do  so  in  all,  if  applied.  But  horses  differ ;  no  two  are 
exactly  alike:  and  therefore  it  is  impossible  to  give  any 
thing  further  than  general  rules,  the  right  application  of 
which  to  particular  cases  must  be  made  by  each  man  for 
himself.  In  the  second  race  between  Flora  Temple  and 
Rose  of  Washington,  the  former  had  come  to  her  condition 
in  some  measure.  She  distanced  Rose  the  first  heat,  in 
2m.  31s. 


XXXV. 

Introduction  of  Hippodroming.  —  Flora,  Lancet,  Miller's  Damsel,  and  Red- 
bird.  —  Flora  and  Brown  Dick.  —  Flora  purchased  by  Mr.  McDonald.  — 
Hippodroming  again.  — Flora  and  Prince.  —  Flora  and  Ike  Cook.  —  Flora 
and  Reindeer. —  The  coming  Horses,  Princess  and  George  M.  Patchen. 

AFTEK  the  races  between  Flora  Temple  and  Eose  of 
Washington,  an  arrangement  was  entered  into  by 
means  of  which  the  former  and  Lancet  travelled  together, 
o  trot  for  purses  and  divide  the  profits.  It  was  a  new  sort 
ol  thing,  and  was  expressively  called  "  Hippodroming "  by 
Mr.  Wilkes.  In  spite  of  all  that  was  said  against  the  sys- 
tem, it  has  come  more  and  more  into  fashion ;  and  now  there 
are  lots  of  horses  that  go  about  the  country  every  season, 
and  exhibit  under  just  such  an  arrangement.  In  the  case 
of  Flora,  there  was  more  excuse  for  it  than  there  has  been  in 
some  others.  She  could  not  at  that  time  get  a  match  on 
even  terms,  and  was  excluded  from  all  the  purses.  Flora 
and  Lancet  began  at  Elmira  on  the  2d  of  September.  I 
fully  believe,  that,  in  all  her  hippodroming  (and  she  was  hip- 
podromed  with  a  good  deal),  her  owner  and  driver  never 
threw  away  a  heat  with  her.  It  is  my  opinion  that  there  is 
a  great  deal  more  satisfaction  in  a  real  race  than  in  one  of 
these  shows,  in  which  no  money  is  actually  at  stake  between 
the  horses.  But  the  people  have  sanctioned  the  system ;  and 
these  exhibitions  draw  immense  crowds  all  over  the  country, 
from  Maine  to  Missouri.  The  evil  is,  that  horses  who  might 
otherwise  be  engaged  in  excellent  races  for  money,  part 
stakes  and  part  purses,  are  practically  withdrawn  from 
these  real  competitions,  and  kept  for  the  purpose  of  such 
exhibitions  at  fairs. 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  289 

At  Elmira,  the  sum  of  $900  was  given,  mile  heats,  to  go 
as  they  pleased.  The  first  was  to  have  $500,  the  second 
$300,  and  the  third  $100.  Flora  Temple,  Lancet,  Miller's 
Damsel;  and  Redbird  were  entered ;  and  it  seemed  pretty 
clear  that  the  first  and  second  prizes  would  be  secured  by 
the  partnership,  while  there  would  be  a  struggle  between 
Miller's  Damsel  and  Redbird  for  the  third  money.  Flora, 
Miller's  Damsel,  and  Redbird  went  in  harness,  Lancet  under 
saddle.  Flora  won  in  two  heats,  Lancet  second,  and  Miller's 
Damsel  third.  Time,  2.28,  2.27.  Three  days  afterwards, 
Sept.  5,  they  trotted  again  for  $3,500  in  the  aggregate. 
It  was  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  as  they  pleased ;  the  first  to 
have  $2,000,  the  second  $1,000,  and  the  third  $500.  They 
went  as  before,  and  the  result  was  the  same.  Flora  won  in 
three  heats,  — 2.26^,  2.27,  2.25.  Lancet  was  second  in  all 
of  them,  and  Redbird  third. 

In  these  two  days  at  Elmira,  Flora  and  Lancet  had  earned 
$3,800,  to  be  divided  between  them ;  and  this  was  a  good 
deal  more  than  they  could  have  gained  in  any  other  way. 
They  had  also  done  quite  as  much  as  the  spectators  had  a 
right  to  expect ;  and,  taken  altogether,  that  was  the  best 
performance  that  had  then  been  made.  Some,  indeed,  be- 
lieved that  the  time  was  inaccurate,  or  the  track  short ;  but 
these  notions  were  never  confirmed.  Flora  then  went  to 
Albany  to  trot  a  match  for  $2,000  with  the  gelding  Brown 
Dick,  mile  heats,  three  in  five.  Brown  Dick  was  a  good 
horse,  but  not  quite  first-rate.  He  was  a  brown  gelding,  by 
a  son  of  American  Star,  and  had  been  owned  by  a  business- 
man at  Williamsburg,  who  used  him  in  his  heavy  wagon. 
He  all  at  once  showed  such  speed  that  he  was  sent  to  Dan 
Pfifer,  who  brought  him  out,  and  made  a  fast  and  stout  trot- 
ter of  him.  The  race  between  Flora  and  him  was  trotted 
on  Sept.  12 ;  and  the  mare  won  it  in  three  heats,  the  best 
of  which  was  2m.  30s. :  but  then  the  track  was  slow,  and 
the  turns  bad. 

Flora  Temple  and  Lancet  now  went  together  agair;.  Thev 

19 


290  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

appeared  at  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  Oct.  3,  and  divided 
the  purse  of  $1,000 ;  Flora  being  first  in  all  three  heats, 
and  Lancet  was  under  saddle.  The  fastest  time  was  2m. 
32s.  They  then  passed  on  to  Hartford,  Conn.,  where  the 
prize  was  $1,000,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  as  they  pleased. 
Lancet  again  went  under  saddle,  and  this  time  earned  the 
honors  of  the  day  as  well  as  his  share  of  the  money.  In 
the  first  heat,  the  mare  grabbed  a  shoe  off,  and  Lancet  came 
home  first  in  2m.  34s.  Flora  won  the  second  in  2m.  29s. ;  but 
the  probability  is,  that  Lancet  was  pulled,  as  he  won  the 
third  heat  in  2m.  25s.,  and  the  fourth  in  2m.  28s.  The 
third  heat  of  2m.  25s.  was  the  best  that  had  then  been 
made  under  saddle ;  and  some  thought  it  was  better  than  Flo- 
ra's 2m.  25s.  at  Elmira,  because  the  Connecticut  track  was  a 
half-mile,  with  short  turns.  But  my  opinion  was  different ; 
for  he  was  under  saddle,  in  which  way  of  going  a  horse  can 
hug  the  pole,  and  make  much  shorter  turns  than  is  possible 
to  one  pulling  a  vehicle  and  driver  behind.  If  Flora  had 
trotted  in  2m.  25s.  at  Hartford,  it  might  have  been  reason- 
ably held  to  be  better  than  her  heat  at  Elrnira ;  but  she  did 
not  do  so. 

It  was  also  believed  by  many  that  Lancet  could  beat  her 
any  time  when  he  was  quite  himself,  and  under  saddle. 
But  in  this  opinion  I  never  concurred,  because,  after  the  race 
in  which  I  distanced  Tacony  with  her  in  2m.  24£s.,  I  was 
satisfied,  that,  when  she  was  quite  herself,  she  could  trot 
in  harness  in  2m.  20s.  on  a  good  track.  The  season  of  1857 
was  now  at  an  end,  and  the  mare  went  into  winter-quarters. 
The  system  of  dividing  purses  had  been  inaugurated,  and  it 
has  since  increased  to  an  enormous  extent.  At  first,  when 
Flora  travelled  with  Lancet  and  he  went  under  saddle,  and 
afterwards,  when  she,  Princess,  and  other  horses,  went  upon 
these  sort  of  expeditions,  there  was  some  semblance  of  a 
race ;  but  the  proceedings  between  Dexter  and  Patchen's 
son  from  California  have  been  of  a  farcical  character.  The 
stallion  was  unable  to  keep  decent  company  with  Dexter 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  291 

when  the  latter  went  any  thing  like  his  best  rate ;  and,  to 
satisfy  the  lookers-on,  Doble  was  compelled  to  bid  good-by 
to  Eoff  and  the  stallion  in  order  to  show  a  fast  mile.  For 
my  part,  I  never  liked  the  system,  and  have  never  had  any 
thing  to  do  with  it ;  but  if  the  people  who  pay  for  it,  know- 
ing what  it  is,  are  satisfied,  I  have  neither  the  right  nor  the 
inclination  to  interfere. 

In  1858,  Flora  did  not  trot  on  Long  Island  at  all ;  and  it 
is  a  question  whether  she  trotted  at  more  than  one  place 
that  year  where  there  was  not  some  kind  of  dividing  ar- 
rangement made  with  the  horse  that  appeared  with  her. 
The  first  place  at  which  she  came  out  was  the  Chestnut-hill 
Park,  Philadelphia.  The  purse  was  $1,000,  mile  heats, 
three  in  five,  in  harness ;  the  date,  June  16 ;  and  the  other 
horse  was  Lancet.  She  won  in  2.29,  2.31,  2.35.  Before 
she  trotted  again,  she  had  been  purchased  by  Mr.  William 
McDonald,  a  wealthy  gentleman  of  Baltimore,  for  $8,000. 
The  price  of  horses  was  not  as  great  then  as  it  has  since 
become,  and  Flora  Temple  was  worth  all  the  money  he  paid 
for  her.  The  change  of  ownership  made  no  change  in  the 
system  of  management,  as  she  remained  in  charge  of  her 
former  owner,  Mr.  McMann.  On  the  22d  of  June,  the  Ox- 
ford-park Course,  Philadelphia,  gave  a  purse  of  $1,200,  for 
which  Flora  and  Lancet  appeared.  She  won  in  three  heats, 
—  2.31,  2.27 %,  2.29f.  The  two  then  went  to  the  Central 
Course,  Baltimore,  and  two  races  there  (if  they  can  be  called 
races)  resulted  in  just  the  same  way.  The  mare  was  driven 
to  win  every  heat ;  and  this  she  did  with  great  ease,  as  Lan- 
cet was  no  competitor  for  her  in  harness.  After  the  second 
race  at  Baltimore,  which  was  on  the  8th  of  July,  Flora  lay 
by  until  October. 

Many  people  were  still  under  the  delusion  that  Lancet 
could  beat  Flora,  as  the  wonderful  private  time  of  the  geld- 
ing continued  to  be  talked  about.  I  oifered  to  match  her 
against  him  foi  $5,000,  provided  I  could  get  the  mare  j  but 


292  THE  TROTTING-IIOESE  O.f  AMERICA. 

Mr.  McMann  declined  to  let  me  have  her ;  and  I  dare  say 
he  knew,  that,  if  I  had  got  her,  the  Lancet  party  would  not 
have  made  the  match.  She  went  to  the  West,  and  trotted 
with  the  chestnut  gelding  Prince,  at  Detroit,  on  the  2d  of 
October.  He  was  under  Mr.  McMann's  control,  as  much 
as  Flora  was ;  and,  if  he  had  not  been,  he  would  have  been 
no  match  for  her.  He  was,  indeed,  a  splendid  horse  for 
bottom,  when  I  drove  him  against  Hero  the  pacer,  and  beat 
him  in  two  ten-mile  races,  as  I  have  previously  related ;  but 
he  had  not  speed  enough  for  Flora  at  mile  heats. 

From  Detroit,  Flora  passed  on  to  Chicago,  to  trot  for  a 
purse  of  $800,  added  to  a  stake  of  $500  each,  half  forfeit. 
The  others  engaged  were  Frank  Forrester  (now  called  Ike 
Cook),  and  the  gelding  Reindeer.  It  was  mile  heats,  three 
in  five,  in  harness.  Reindeer  was  withdrawn,  and  Flora 
beat  Ike  Cook  in  three  heats.  The  best  time  was  2m.  30|s., 
and  the  last  heat  2m.  42s.  On  the  15th,  at  Kalamazoo, 
Flora  and  Prince  appeared  again,  mile  heats,  and  the  result 
was  the  same  as  at  Detroit.  On  the  27th,  they  went  mile 
heats,  three  in  five,  at  Sandusky,  Ohio, — same  result.  Best 
time,  2m.  35s.  On  the  4th  of  November,  she  trotted  for 
a  purse  of  $500  against  the  gelding  Reindeer,  and  beat 
him  in  three  heats.  Two  of  these,  however,  were  in 
2.28. 

On  the  25th  of  that  month,  Flora  trotted  for  a  purse  at 
St.  Louis,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  against  Rein- 
deer, who  had  before  paid  forfeit  to  her,  and  who  had  been 
beaten  by  her  at  Adrian.  Still  he  had  made  the  best  race 
with  her  that  had  been  made  that  year,  and  had  only  been  de- 
feated by  a  throat-latch  in  the  third  heat  in  2m.  28s.  For 
the  race  at  St.  Louis,  his  trainer,  Otis  Dimmock,  brought 
him  out  in  excellent  condition,  while  Flora  was  no  doubt  off. 
She  acted  badly,  and  lost  the  first  heat  in  2m.  34s.  She 
was  still  backed  at  odds  of  100  to  80.  It  can  hardly  be  got 
into  the  heads  of  some  people  that  horses  are  not  always  at 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  293 

about  their  best.  Half  the  calculations  made  in  England, 
so  far  as  I  can  see,  proceed  upon  the  assumption  that  all  the 
horses  are  always  right.  If  they  were,  the  turf-prophets 
could  select  the  winners  more  often  than  they  do.  Flora 
was  distanced  in  the  second  heat  in  2.35s. 

Two  days  afterwards,  she  was  herself  again,  and  beat 
Keindeer,  two-mile  heats,  in  harness,  in  5m.  ll^s.,  5m.  17|s., 
over  a  very  heavy  track.  One  more  race  at  mile  heats, 
three  in  five,  they  had  on  the  2d  of  December.  It  was 
a  stoutly-contested  one  of  five  heats.  Keindeer  won  the 
first  and  second  in  2.31^,  2.31  J ;  but  Flora  lasted  the  longest 
in  the  heavy  ground,  and  took  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth 
in  2.30f,  2.32-|,  2.36J.  Her  races  that  year  with  Eeindeer 
were  the  only  ones  in  which  she  was  called  upon  to  put 
forth  her  speed.  He  made  her  show  the  people  of  Adrian 
and  St.  Louis  the  worth  of  their  money. 

The  next  year,  1859,  was  the  most  arduous,  the  most 
eventful,  and  the  most  glorious,  for  her  in  all  her  history. 
She  was  now  fourteen  years  old ;  and  her  labors  and  perform- 
ances in  that  season  show  what  an  extraordinary  good 
little  mare  she  was.  She  then  exalted  herself  to  a  height 
of  fame  that  many  believe  will  hardly  ever  be  equalled ; 
though  my  opinion  is,  and  has  been  for  some  time,  that 
Dexter,  if  he  meets  with  no  accident,  will  surpass,  in 
harness  and  to  wagon,  all  that  she  ever  accomplished.  I 
ventured  to  predict  this  some  time  ago,  and  it  was  published 
in  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Times."  I  still  adhere  to  it.  The 
opinion  may  be  wrong,  but  it  is  mine.  Time,  as  it  goes 
along  from  year  to  year,  and  time  as  it  is  taken  in  the 
judges'  stand  when  the  winning  horse  comes  to  the  score, 
will  show.  The  amazing  goodness  of  this  little  mare,  four- 
teen years  old,  was,  however,  established  beyond  all  cavil  in 
1859.  She  met  better  horses  in  that  year  than  she  had 
ever  done  before  ;  for,  whatever  may  be  thought  about  Prin- 
cess, she  taen  first  encountered  George  M.  Patchen,  the  Jer- 


294  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

sey  stallion,  who  was,  beyond  all  doubt  in  my  mind,  the  best 
horse  that  ever  competed  with  her.  Then,  agaii,  the  dis- 
tance she  travelled  was  enormous ;  and  the  races  she  trotted 
numbered  no  less  than  twenty-three,  all  but  one  of  which 
she  won. 


XXXVI. 

Flora  Temple  and  Ethan  Allen.  —  Flora  and  Princess.  —  Description  of 
Princess.  —  Her  Driver,  James  Eoff.  —  His  Artful  Strategy,  and  inveterate 
Humbug.  —  Princess  beats  Flora  Two-Mile  Heats.  —  Flora  wins,  Mile- 
Heats,  Three  in  Five.  —  The  best  previous  Time  beaten  in  all  the  Heats. 

IT  was  in  1859  that  the  fame  of  Flora  Temple  reached  its 
highest  point.  Her  first  race  that  season  was  witb 
Ethan  Allen,  at  the  Fashion  Course.  It  was  on  the  31st  of 
May,  for  a  purse  of  $2,000,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  to 
wagons.  The  race  between  Ethan  and  mate,  and  Lantern 
and  mate,  in  double  harness,  had  greatly  increased  the  repu- 
tation of  the  little  bay  stallion  ;  but,  in  considering  the  dead 
heat  of  2m.  24-*  s.,  there  was  not  enough  allowed  for  the  part 
in  it  which  belonged  to  the  running-horse.  This  way  of 
going  had  not  then  become  familiar ;  and  nearly  all  the  merit 
of  the  performance  was  attributed  to  the  trotter,  when  it 
ought  to  have  been  given  to  the  runner,  who  pulled  all  the 
weight,  and  carried  the  trotter  along  with  him.  Ethan 
Allen  has  since  trotted  with  a  runner  faster  than  2m.  20s. ; 
and,  from  what  has  been  confided  to  me  respecting  his  trials 
in  that  rig,  he  can  do  a  great  deal  better  than  that. 

For  this  race  on  the  Fashion  Course,  the  odds  was  on 
Flora.  I  drove  the  stallion,  and  felt  satisfied  that  he  would 
make  Flora  trot  a  great  race ;  but,  as  it  was  plain  that  her 
condition  was  good,  I  had  no  great  confidence  of  winning  it. 
In  the  first  heat  we  got  away  together,  and  the  pace  was 
strong.  Ethan  Allen  was  always  very  rapid  to  begin  with. 
On  the  turn,  the  mare  got  up,  but  was  caught  by  the  time 
I  was  a  length  ahead.  Tallman  now  steadied  her  with  a 

295 


296  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

pull ;  and,  at  the  quarter,  I  led  her  two  lengths  and  a  half. 
At  the  half-mile,  in  1m.  11s.,  Ethan  had  a  length  and  a 
half  of  lead ;  but  the  mare  was  coming  with  uncommon 
speed  and  resolution.  Gaining  inch  by  inch,  she  collared 
him  on  the  lower  turn,  and  he  made  a  skip.  She  led  at  the 
head  of  the  stretch  ;  but  the  little  horse  finished  very  game- 
ly, and  she  beat  him  but  a  length  in  2m.  25s.,  —  the  best 
mile  thut  had  ever  been  trotted  to  a  wagon. 

It  was  also  the  best  mile  that  he  ever  trotted  single  ;  and 
though,  having  been  defeated,  he  gets  no  record  for  it,  it  is 
just  as  much  to  be  considered  for  his  credit,  in  estimating 
his  value  as  a  stallion,  as  if  he  had  won  in  2m.  25]s.  The 
second  and  third  heats  wrere  won  by  the  mare.  The  time 
of  each  was  2m.  27 £s.  Flora  thus,  in  the  first  race  of  the 
season,  gave  a  sample  of  her  mature  powers.  Darius  Tall- 
man  drove  her  that  day.  The  time  she  made  remained  un- 
equalled for  above  five  years ;  but,  finally,  George  Wilkes 
made  it  in  a  second  heat  on  the  Union  Course,  when  the 
track  was  not  fast,  and  the  weather  was  unfavorable  for  clear 
wind.  It  is  just  also  to  say,  that,  though  Ethan  Allen 
gained  no  money  by  that  race  with  Flora,  he  added  much  to 
his  fame. 

On  the  16th  of  June,  Flora  met  a  new  and  formidable 
competitor  in  the  bay  mare  Princess.  This  mare  had  for- 
merly been  called  Topsy,  under  which  name  she  had  trotted 
fast  in  the  West.  She  was  then  taken  to  California,  and  be- 
came the  property  of  Mr.  Teakle,  a  gentleman  of  fine  parts 
and  enterprise,  and  high  character.  She  had  been  brought ' 
from  the  Pacific  side  to  New  York  by  James  Eoff,  a  very 
able  trainer  and  driver,  and  generally  thought  to  be  as 
hardy  and  unscrupulous  as  any  man  in  our  profession.  Prin- 
cess was  a  mare  of  singular  beauty  and  high  quality,  com- 
bined with  strength.  I  do  not  know  her  pedigree  :  I  have 
heard  several  different  stories  about  it;  but  she  showed 
blood,  and  must  have  had  a  good  strain  in  her.  Her  temper 
was  not  of  the  best ;  and,  though  she  had  a  great  gift  of 


1HE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  297 

speed,  she  was  not  steady  enough  to  be  always  reliable.  Her 
bottom  was  great.  Before  leaving  California  to  come  here, 
she  twice  beat  Glencoe  Chief,  ten  miles,  to  wagons ;  winning 
those  races  in  29m.  10|s.,  and  29m.  16|s.  The  first  of 
these  races  was  for  the  large  amount  of  $36,500,  and  the 
second  for  $10,000.  Her  best  mile  in  public  had  been  2m. 
30s. ;  but  I  have  heard  that  she  went  an  amazingly  fast  mile 
to  wagon  in  a  trial  with  a  pacing-horse,  and  that  trial  in- 
duced Mr.  Teakle  to  bring  her  eastward  again. 

Eoff  was  a  great  master  of  humbug,  and  had  got  up  so 
much  mystery  and  speculation  in  regard  to  this  mare  that 
Flora's  owner  refused  to  match  her.  An  arrangement  was 
then  entered  into  that  they  should  trot  three-mile  heats  and 
two-mile  heats,  to  wagons,  on  the  Eclipse  Course,  and  divide 
the  gate-money.  It  was  given  out  that  they  were  matched 
for  $2,500  a  side ;  but  the  truth  is,  that  there  was  nothing 
at  stake  between  them.  They  trotted  the  three-mile  heats 
on  the  16th  of  June,  in  the  presence  of  a  great  crowd. 
Eoff  had  so  worked  upon  the  belief  of  many  credulous  peo- 
ple, that  they  actually  laid  on  7m.  30s.,  to  wagon,  which 
would  have  beaten  Dutchman's  time  under  saddle  by  two 
seconds  and  a  half.  Tallman  drove  Elora ;  and  Eoff,  Princess. 
The  beauty  and  style  of  the  latter  were  much  admired ;  but 
the  odds  were  upon  the  little  mare  who  had  won  such  a  gal- 
lant race,  a  little  more  than  a  fortnight  previous,  from  Ethan 
Allen.  It  was  a  hundred  to  twenty-five  on  her.  Before 
they  started,  there  came  up  a  thunder-shower,  which 
drenched  thousands  of  people  to  the  skin,  and  made  the 
course  slippery  and  bad.  In  the  first  heat,  Princess  took 
the  lead,  and  kept  it  for  nearly  a  mile ;  but  Flora  got  to  her 
head  a  few  strides  from  the  score,  and  they  crossed  it  to- 
gether in  2.37.  Tallman  made  a  waiting-race  of  it,  and 
pull  3d  Elora  back  three  lengths ;  but,  at  the  score  again,  the 
big  mare  only  led  her  a  length.  The  time  of  that  mile  was 
2m.  40^s.  Elora  made  a  little  skip  on  the  turn,  and  Prin- 
cess was  three  lengths  ahead  at  the  quarter.  But  now  her 


298  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

time  was  come.  The  little  mare  made  such  a  fine  rush  that 
she  was  at  the  head  of  Princess  at  the  half-mile  pole.  She 
took  the  lead,  and  won  with  great  ease  by  five  lengths,  in 
7m.  54s.,  amidst  great  shouting. 

Ten  to  one  was  now  laid;  and  it  was  whispered  about  that 
Eoff  would  not  let  Princess  win  it.  He  very  likely  insti- 
gated the  report  himself;  for  it  was  a  part  of  his  tactics  to 
make  people  believe  that  Princess  could  beat  Mora,  when- 
ever it  became  his  interest  to  let  her  do  so.  In  the  second 
heat,  Flora  took  the  lead.  The  first  mile  was  2.37£.,  the 
second  2.36  £.  In  the  third  mile,  Flora  began  to  come  back ; 
and  she  pulled  a  shoe  off,  and  cut  her  quarter.  Half-way 
up  the  stretch,  Flora  broke  and  many  believed  that  Eoff 
might  then  have  passed  her,  and  won  the  heat,  if  he  had 
wanted  to  do  so.  Flora  was  in  a  hobble  all  the  way  home, 
and  broke  three  times  after  she  passed  the  drawgate ;  but 
Princess  never  got  to  her,  and  the  little  mare  won  it  in  7m. 
59^s.  About  nineteen  out  of  twenty  people  believed  that 
Eoff  pulled  Princess  in  the  last  heat,  on  purpose  to  lose  it. 
But,  if  he  had  a  mare  that  could  have  beaten  Flora,  the  odds 
that  day  were  very  tempting.  He  told  a  plausible,  and  I  am 
inclined  to  think  a  truthful,  story.  It  was,  that  Princess 
was  as  tired  as  Flora  was ;  that,  if  he  had  sent  her  ever  so 
little  at  the  finish,  she  would  have  broken  up ;  and,  as  she  is 
a  bad  breaker,  that  would  have  lost  it.  The  truth,  to  my 
mind,  is,  that  Princess  never  could  beat  Flora  when  the  lat- 
ter was  at  herself ;  and  Eoff  was,  of  all  the  men  in  America, 
the  man  who  knew  it  best.  Flora,  however,  was  not  at  her 
best  that  day. 

The  charges  against  Eoff  for  pulling  and  losing,  when  he 
could  have  won,  were  so  loud  and  general,  that  there  was  an 
investigation  by  the  Union  Jockey  Club.  Eoff  appeared, 
and  made  his  statement ;  but  of  all  those  who  had  declared, 
that,  if  the  reins  had  broken,  Princess  could  not  have  lost 
it,  not  one  came  forward  to  substantiate  the  charge.  The 
after-experience  of  Princess  and  Flora  showed  that  the 


THE  TROT  TING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  299 

former  could  not  beat  the  latter  wlien  they  were  both  right ; 
and  what  has  since  been  seen  of  EofPs  management  of  the 
California  stallion  (George  M.  Patchen,  jun.)  throws  some 
light  upon  his  doings  with  Princess.  In  spite  of  their 
experience  in  the  Princess  case,  he  persuaded  the  people 
that  this  stallion  could  beat  Dexter  whenever  he  wanted  to 
let  him  do  it ;  and  many  continued  to  believe  so  after  it  was 
palpable  to  any  man  of  good  judgment  that  the  gelding 
could  lose  him  in  any  race  that  they  might  go. 

In  a  week  after  the  race  of  three-mile  heats  to  wagons, 
Flora  and  Princess  trotted  two-mile  heats  in  harness.  The 
betting  opened  at  100  to  70  on  Flora;  but,  before  they 
started,  it  was  even.  Tallman  drove  Flora  again ;  and,  in 
scoring,  she  seemed  rank  and  wild.  Princess,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  quite  steady ;  and,  from  all  appearances,  her  race 
to  wagon  had  done  her  good.  They  went  away  at  a  great 
rate ;  and,  before  Flora  had  got  round  the  turn,  she  pulled  a 
shoe  off  and  cut  her  quarter :  this  gave  Princess  the  lead. 
The  latter  trotted  the  first  mile  in  2m.  26s.,  but  there  was 
no  daylight  between  her  and  Flora.  On  the  turn,  Flora 
broke.  When  she  caught,  she  trotted  very  fast;  and, 
making  a  swift  and  resolute  dart  to  close  with  Princess  on 
the  back-stretch,  she  grabbed  off  her  other  fore-shoe,  and  cut 
her  quarter  badly.  Princess  won  the  heat  easily  in  5m.  2s., 
and  might,  no  doubt,  have  trotted  it  considerably  faster  if 
nhe  had  been  pressed  in  the  second  mile.  It  was  ten  to  one 
on  the  California  mare.  Flora  was  a  little  lame  when 
brought  out  for  the  second  heat.  Princess  took  the  lead, 
kept  it  all  the  way,  and  won  handily  in  5m.  05s. 

The  general  opinion  was,  that  little  Flora  had  her  mis- 
tress, and  that  Princess  could  beat  her  anywhere.  But 
the  truth  is,  that  people  forgot  the  wonderful  constitution 
and  come-again  qualities  of  Flora.  While  with  all  her 
speed,  bottom,  and  fine  way  of  going,  Princess  was  an 
uncertain  mare,  and  nothing  like  as  reliable  for  a  long 
campaign  as  Flora  was.  The  news  of  this  race  created  a 


300  THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA. 

great  sensation  all  over  the  country ;  and  I  must  here  say, 
that,  in  spite  of  her  defeat,  many  stuck  to  Flora,  and  con- 
tended that  the  verdict  obtained  by  Princess  would  be 
reversed,  with  heavy  costs  and  damages,  when  there  was  a 
new  trial.  On  the  6th  of  August,  after  a  good  let-up  for 
Flora  to  repair  her  injuries  and  grow  out  her  quarters, 
these  famous  mares  again  appeared  to  dispute  for  victory. 
It  was  on  the  Eclipse  Course,  mile  heats,  three  in  five. 
Few  that  witnessed  the  doings  of  that  memorable  day  will 
ever  forget  it.  Princess  was  the  favorite  at  100  to  80,  and 
everybody  looked  for  a  fast  race ;  but  few  expected  such 
heats  as  they  saw.  The  crowd  in  attendance  was  very 
great,  but  there  was  not  much  betting. 

I  suppose  ninety  out  of  every  hundred  who  were  present  ex- 
pected to  see  Flora  defeated.  I  confess  that  I  thought  Prin- 
cess likely  to  win  it ;  although  I  was  satisfied,  that,  when  at 
her  best,  Flora  could  trot  in  twenty  in  harness.  The  truth 
is,  that  Princess  was  a  little  over-rated.  It  is  often  the  case, 
that  when  a  trotter  wins  with  great  ease,  especially  if  the  one 
defeated  is  a  famous  one,  a  calculation  is  forthwith  made  in 
which  it  is  assumed,  not  that  the  lo.ser  w^as  "  off,"  but  that 
the  winner  is  greatly  superior.  This  assumption  is  com- 
monly erroneous.  Another  wide-spread  error  lies  at 'the 
bottom  of  it.  In  spite  of  all  authority  and  experience  to 
the  contrary,  people  generally  believe  that  a  horse,  if  there 
is  nothing  apparently  ailing  him,  is  as  good  one  day  as 
another.  This  is  not  so  ;  and  mares,  especially  in  the  spring 
season,  are  still  more  uncertain.  Flora  was  driven  by  James 
McMann  in  this  race ;  and,  as  soon  as  she  was  brought  out 
and  set  a-going,  I  could  see  that  she  felt  well,  and  was  in 
fine  condition.  She  was  full  of  life  and  spirit ;  and  her 
muscle  was  greatly  developed,  without  much  flesh.  She 
meant  mischief.  In  the  first  heat,  she  had  the  inside.  At  the 
word  she  darted  to  the  front,  out-footed  the  Princess  to 
the  quarter  in  thirty-five  seconds,  and  got  a  lead  of  about 
twenty  yards.  Flora  did  the  half-mile  in  1m.  lOJs. ;  and 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  301 

Princess  must  have  trotted  the  second  quarter  very  fast,  for, 
at  the  pole,  Flora's  lead  was  only  a  length.  Thus  they  went 
until  half  way  up  the  home-stretch ;  when  the  frantic  shout 
of  thousands  of  her  admirers  inspired  the  little  mare  to  one 
of  her  great  rushes,  and  she  won  the  heat  by  three  lengths 
in  2m.  23-|s.  When  the  judges  announced  that  the  record 
was  a  second  better  than  ever  before,  and  that  Flora 
was  still  the  sovereign  mistress  of  it,  the  people  were  nigh 
crazy  with  joy.  There  was  no  betting  between  the  heats ; 
and  many  yet  believed  that  Eoif  could  win  the  race  if  he 
liked  to  do  so. 

Flora  had  a  bad  start  in  the  second  heat.  She  was  a  length 
and  a  half  behind,  and  under  a  pull  when  the  word  was 
given;  but  she  darted  on  to  Princess  with  such  a  rush 
that  she  collared  her  before  she  was  well  at  the  turn,  and 
up  went  the  California  mare.  At  the  quarter-pole,  in 
thirty-four  seconds,  Flora  led  six  or  seven  lengths.  At  the 
half-mile,  in  1m.  09s.,  her  lead  was  not  quite  so  great ;  but 
she  kept  all  the  daylight  open  to  the  score,  and  won  by 
six  lengths  in  2m.  22s.  It  was  a  capital  heat  for  Flora ; 
and,  though  she  afterwards  beat  it  on  this  Island  at  the 
Union  and  Fashion  Courses,  she  never  surpassed  it  much, 
considering  the  bad  start  she  had.  I  shall  always  contend 
that  Flora's  best  heat  was  made  on  this  Island.  The  Kalama- 
zoo  Course,  on  which  she  beat  2m.  20s.,  may  have  been  a 
mile.  It  was  certified  as  a  mile,  and  it  is  too  late  now  to  go 
behind  what  the  record  says;  but,  if  that  was  a  mile,  our 
Island  courses  are  more  than  a  mile,  for  they  measure  a 
mile  one  foot  nearer  the  pole  than  that  did.  Besides,  it  is 
a  well-known  fact,  that  the  Eclipse  Course,  now  called  the 
Centreville,  is  more  than  a  mile.  Even  after  this  heat, 
some  continued  in  the  belief  that  Princess  could  have  won  it. 

In  the  third  heat,  Flora  took  the  lead,  and  went  to  the 
quarter  in  thirty-five  seconds,  three  lengths  ahead.  Prin- 
cess gained  two  lengths  in  the  straight  quarter,  on  the 
back-stretch,  and  yet  Flora  got  to  the  half  in  1m.  10s.  The 


302  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

California  mare  drew  forward  until  she  was  head-and-head 
with  Flora.  It  looked  critical ;  but  the  big  mare  was  at  her 
best,  and  Flora  had  still  a  link  to  let  out.  McMann 
touched  her  with  the  whip,  and  away  she  went.  At  the 
head  of  the  stretch,  she  had  the  best  of  it,  and,  lasting  the 
longest,  came  home  the  winner  by  three  lengths  in  2m.  23Js. 
There  had  never  been  any  thing  like  such  a  trot  before. 
The  best  previous  time  had  been  beaten  by  two  seconds  and 
a  half,  and  it  had  been  beaten  in  all  the  heats.  Princess 
had  established  the  fact,  that  she  was  an  extraordinary 
mare ;  but  Flora's  glory  and  reputation  had  been  re- 
stored. She  had  not  only  showed  as  much  speed  as  Prin- 
cess anywhere,  but  had  beat  her  in  the  rushes  at  the  begin- 
ning, and,  in  the  desperate  brushes  afterwards,  had  lasted 
the  longest.  Still  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  she  had  the 
pole  to  begin  with ;  and  it  actually  seemed  as  if  she  was  as 
well  aware  of  the  advantage  she  derived  from  that  fact  as  any 
man  on  the  ground.  The  dart  after  Princess  in  the  second 
heat,  when  Flora  was  behind  at  the  start,  appeared  to  be 
inspired  by  reasoning,  as  though  she  made  up  her  mind  to 
this  effect :  "  If  she  gets  the  pole,  she  beats  me ! "  The 
rejoicing  caused  by  that  victory  of  hers  spread  from  the 
shores  of  the  ocean  where  it  was  achieved  to  the  distant 
States  and  Territories  which  lie  beyond  the  Mississippi 
Fliver ;  for  this  little  mare  had  become  a  national  character. 


XXXVII. 


Flora  Temple  and  Princess  again.  —  Flora  wins  Two-Mile  Heats.  — They  go 
Hippodroming.  —  Flora  trots  in  2m.  21^3.,  with  Ike  Cook,  at  Cincinnati. 
—  Her  Performance  at  Kalamazoo.  —  2m.  19|s. 


Flora  Temple  and  Princess  met  again  at  the  Eclipse 
Course,  on  the  16th  of  August,  to  trot  two-mile  heats  in 
harness.  In  spite  of  Flora's  grand  performance  on  the  9th, 
many  still  believed  that  the  California  mare  was  able  to 
beat  her,  especially  at  two-mile  heats.  This  feeling  was  so 
general  that  Princess  was  the  favorite  at  100  to  80 ;  but  I 
think  there  was  but  very  little  betting  at  those  rates,  and 
the  odds  were  more  nominal  than  real.  The  mares  were  both 
in  fine  condition ;  and  as  the  day  and,  track  were  good,  a  per- 
formance of  uncommon  speed  was  looked  for.  Those  who 
expected  it  were  not  at  all  disappointed,  as,  before  they  went 
home,  they  saw  the  fastest  two-mile  heat  that  ever  was 
trotted. 

In  the  first  heat,  Princess  had  the  best  of  the  start ;  and 
they  went  away  at  a  rapid  gait,  —  a  tremendous  gait  for  a 
two-mile  heat.  The  little  mare  gained  inch  by  inch  ;  and  at 
the  quarter,  in  35s.,  Princess  had  but  a  neck  and  shoulder 
the  best  of  it.  At  the  half-mile,  in  1m.  ll^s.,  Princess  led 
a  neck  only.  Soon  after  passing  the  pole  they  were  head- 
and-head,  and  a  most  excellent  neck-and-neck  race  followed 
all  around  the  lower  turn.  As  they  swung  into  the  stretch 
Flora  led  by  a  neck  ;•  but  the  California  mare  gained  it  on 
the  straight  work,  and  they  were  neck-and-neck  again  at 
the  distance.  At  the  shout  of  the  people,  as  they  came  on 


30-4  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

thus,  Flora  made  a  dart  ahead,  and  crossed  the  score  a  length 
in  the  lead  in  2m.  23s.  At  the  quarter-pole  Flora's  lead 
was  two  lengths,  and  this  she  carried  to  the  half.  So  it 
continued  round  the  lower  turn.  Princess  was  unable  to 
close  with  Flora ;  but  the  latter  had  to  keep  the  pace  very 
strong  to  retain  the  lead.  But,  when  they  struck  the  home- 
stretch, the  long  struggle  at  such  a  great  rate  had  settled 
the  California  mare,  while  Flora  remained  full  of  trot. 
Princess  broke  badly.  Flora  made  a  lightning  rush  at  the 
shout  that  was  set  up,  and  Eoff  had  no  great  deal  to  spare 
in  saving  his  distance.  The  time  of  the  heat,  trotted  all 
the  way  without  a  skip  or  a  break,  and  some  of  it  at  the 
rate  of  2m.  20s.  to  the  mile,  was  4m.  50  £s.  It  still  remains 
the  best  two-mile  heat  that  ever  was  trotted  in  harness. 
I  never  saw  but  one  in  any  way  of  going  to  equal  it; 
and  that  was  when  Dexter  trotted  his  two  miles  to  wagon 
in  4m.  56|s.,  and  jogged  in  from  half  way  up  the  stretch. 

After  this  heat  in  4m.  50  Js.,  Eoff  complained  that  Flora 
crossed  him  on  the  turn  in  the  second  mile.  The  judges, 
however,  held  that  she  was  far  enough  ahead  to  take  the 
pole  without  compelling  Princess  to  shorten  her  stride. 
McMann,  in  turn,  claimed  the  race  as  well  as  the  heat, 
because  Princess,  as  he  alleged,  was  distanced;  but  the 
truth  was,  there  was  no  judge  in  the  distance-stand,  the 
distance-judge  having  got  by  mistake  into  the  distance-stand 
for  mile  heats,  three  in  five.  The  trotting  of  this  heat  had 
opened  the  eyes  of  those  who  had  up  to  that  time  believed 
that  the  California  mare  would  beat  Flora  whenever  Eoff 
called  upon  her  to  do  so.  It  was  clear  enough  that,  how- 
ever fast  she  might  have  gone  in  California,  in  the  trial  with 
the  pacer,  she  was  at  her  best  in  the  first  mile  of  that  heat, 
where  Flora  was  a  length  ahead  in  2m.  23s.  It  was  equally 
plain  that  Flora  had  out-lasted  as  well  as  out-trotted  Prin- 
cess ;  and,  the  farther  they  went,  the  more  evident  her  supe- 
riority became.  There  were  plenty  of  betters  now  ready  to 
lay  a  hundred  to  thirty  on  Flora. 


THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA.  305 

In  the  second  heat,  Princess  had  the  best  of  the  start, 
and  tock  the  pole  from  Flora  before  she  had  lead  enough  to 
justify  her  in  doing  so.  On  the  lower  turn,  Flora  got  to 
her  head,  and  another  neck-and-neck  struggle  ensued.  On 
the  stretch,  Flora  got  a  little  the  best  of  it ;  and  rushing  on 
with  great  vigor  when  she  felt  herself  among  her  shouting 
friends  and  admirers,  she  led  a  length  and  a  half  at  the 
score  in  2m.  24s.  On  the  turn,  Flora  ran  over  a  man  who 
had  no  business  to  be  there,  and  then  broke ;  but  just  then 
Princess  broke,  and  Flora  was  first  down  to  her  work.  At 
the  quarter,  she  led  five  lengths,  and  at  the  half-mile  Prin- 
cess was  dead-beat  and  tired.  The  rest  of  the  heat  was  no 
contest  at  all.  Flora  jogged  out  in  5m.  5s. ;  the  second  mile 
being  trotted  in  2m.  41s.  The  question  of  superiority 
between  these  beautiful  and  capital  mares  had  now  been 
fairly  tested.  It  was  found,  that,  while  the  California  mare 
was  second  to  no  other  but  Flora,  she  certainly  was  second 
to  her.  The  recent  contest  had  removed  all  doubt. 
Although  there  was  no  money  at  stake  between  them, 
the  drivers  had  done  their  best  to  win ;  and  some,  indeed, 
thought  they  had  both  done  more  than  they  had  any  right 
to  do,  in  view  of  the  rule  against  foul  driving.  These 
mares,  while  only  trotting  for  gate-money,  had  showed  the 
two  finest  trots  that  had  then  been  witnessed ;  but  still  I  am 
persuaded  that  the  example  then  set,  and  since  followed, 
of  going  hippodroming  round  the  country  to  trot  for 
gate-money,  which  was  already  appropriated  and  divided 
without  any  reference  to  which  might  win,  was  pernicious. 

However,  they  set  off  on  an  excursion  of  that  character, 
and  first  showed  at  Boston  on  the  23d  of  August,  to  some 
sixteen  thousand  people.  It  was  mile  heats,  three  in  five, 
in  harness,  and  Flora  won  in  three  heats,  —  2m.  26^s.  being 
the  fastest,  the  others  being  2m.  33s.,  and  2m.  34s.  Upon 
the  principle  of  making  hay  while  the  sun  shone,  they  ap- 
peared at  Saratoga  on  the  27th.  Flora  won  again  in  three 
heats,  tr  3  fastest  of  which  was  2m.  30s.  From  Saratoga 

20 


306  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

they  went  away  down  east  to  Portland,  in  Maine,  and  gave 
an  exhibition  there  on  the  1st  of  September.  Flora  won  all 
the  heats  again,  —  the  fastest,  2m.  26£s. 

The  next  trot  was  at  Suffolk  Park,  Philadelphia ;  and  this 
was  for  a  real  purse  given  by  the  proprietor,  and  not  for  a 
share  of  the  gate-money.  It  was  the  opening  of  that  Park. 
It  was  on  the  8th  of  September;  and  the  purse  was  $1,500, 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness.  The  day  was  fine,  the 
expectation  was  great ;  and  no  less  than  twelve  thousand  peo- 
ple had  come  together  to  see  the  mighty  mares.  At  the 
start,  in  the  first  heat,  Flora  rushed  off  at  great  speed,  and 
Princess  soon  broke  badly.  While  she  was  bobbing  up  and 
down,  Flora  opened  a  great  gap,  and  could  easily  have  dis- 
tanced her ;  but  McMann  took  a  long  pull  and  a  strong  pull, 
and  let  Princess  come  up,  so  as  to  make  it  look  a  little  like 
a  race.  Flora  won  by  three  lengths  :  time,  2m.  4l£s. 

When  that  time  was  announced,  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
dissatisfaction  expressed.  The  people  hooted  and  groaned 
at  Eoff,  but  it  was  not  his  fault.  The  mare  had  lost  her 
fine  turn  of  speed  in  a  measure,  and  was  becoming  more 
and  more  unsteady.  Flora  had  got  her  on  the  go-down- 
wards, and  was  fast  breaking  her  heart.  However,  the 
judges  pacified  the  crowd,  by  announcing,  that,  if  Princess 
did  not  win  the  next  heat,  I  should  drive  her  in  the  third. 
She  made  another  bad  break  in  the  second  heat,  and  was 
beat  in  2m.  31s.  I  was  then  induced  to  drive  her.  I  did 
not  much  like  the  arrangement ;  for  my  opinion  was,  that  she 
had  110  more  chance  to  beat  Flora  that  day  than  I  had  to 
beat  her  and  go  a-foot :  but,  as  the  judges  had  quieted  the 
threats  of  the  crowd  by  means  of  this  device,  I  consented. 
Flora  took  the  lead  at  the  start,  trotted  the  heat  in  2m.  23s., 
and  Princess  was  distanced. 

On  the  10 fch,  the  mares  trotted  at  Baltimore.  The  first 
heat  Flora  won  in  2m.  29s. ;  the  second  in  2m.  31s. ;  the 
third  she  trotted  in  2m.  22s. ;  and  Eoff  pulled  I  -incess  up 
at  the  half-mile  pole,  there  being  no  semblance  of  a  contest. 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  307 

From  Baltimore  to  Chicago  the  mares  proceeded,  and  there 
gave  an  exhibition  on  the  16th  of  September.  A  bigger  farce 
was  never  enacted  anywhere.  Flora  won  the  first  heat  in 
2m.  31s.  In  the  second,  she  had  to  wait  so  long  for  Prin- 
cess, by  reason  of  her  bad  breaking,  that  the  heat  was  3m. 
21s.  The  third  heat  Flora  won  in  2m.  26^8. 

Flora  next  appeared  at  Muscatine,  Io.,  her  partner  there 
being  Ike  Cook.  It  was  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  har- 
ness. Flora  won  in  three  heats.  These  two  then  travelled 
to  Cincinnati,  and  there  trotted  in  what  was  advertised  as  a 
match  for  $1,000  a  side.  Flora  won  it  in  three  heats,  the 
last  of  them  being  trotted  in  2m.  21  ^s.  This  beat  the  time 
made  at  the  Eclipse  Course  and  at  Baltimore  :  but  it  is  to 
be  remembered  that  it  was  not  trotted  on  Mr.  Cassady's  old 
Queen-City  Course,  but  on  a  new  one ;  and  there  is  good 
reason  to  believe  that  it  measured  a  little  short.  I  have 
heard  from  good  authority  that  it  was  not  then  a  full  mile. 
But  the  people  did  not  know  that  fact ;  and  the  news  that 
the  little  mare  was  gradually  coming  down  towards  2m.  20s., 
created  much  interest  all  over  the  country. 

Expectation  was  rife  in  regard  to  her.  And  now  she  was 
about  to  make  her  fastest  heat.  It  was  on  the  15th  of  Oc- 
tober, at  Kalamazoo,  in  Michigan,  that  she  appeared,  to  trot 
with  Princess  and  a  horse  named  Honest  Anse.  The  peo- 
ple of  the  famous  oak-openings  country  have  always  mani- 
fested much  fondness  and  liberality  towards  trotters.  They 
gave  a  purse  of  $2,000,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness. 
Flora  Temple,  Princess,  and  Honest  Anse  appeared  to  trot 
for  it.  The  first  heat  was  just  about  fast  enough  to  warm 
Flora  up.  In  the  second,  Honest  Anse  made  her  trot  fa^t 
for  three-quarters  of  a  mile :  he  then  shut  up,  and  she  won 
it  in  2m.  22 £s.  He  was  then  withdrawn,  and  Flora  and 
Princess  started  for  the  third  heat.  The  little  mare  went 
clean  away  from  Princess ;  did  the  first  half  in  1m.  9s.,  and 
trotted  the  heat  in  2m.  19  fs.  The  news  created  very  great 
excitement ;  and  many  believed  that  the  course  was  short. 


308  THE  TROTT1NG-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

These  were,  in  fact,  more  than  half  right  j  for,  upon  its  being 
measured,  it  was  found  necessary  to  get  four  feet  from  the 
pole  to  make  it  a  mile  ;  while  our  Island  tracks  all  measure 
a  little  more  than  a  mile  three  feet  from  the  pole.  There- 
fore the  Kalamazoo  Course,  at  that  time,  was  not  as  long  as 
the  Union  or  Eclipse  Course.  Still  it  was  but  a  trine  short. 
Every  track,  however,  ought  to  be  full  measure  ;  and  it  is  a 
greatly-mistaken  policy  to  have  any  course  short,  be  it  ever 
so  little. 


XXXVIII. 

Flora  Temple  and  George  M.  Patclien.  —Description  of  Patchen.  —  His  Pedi- 
gree.—  Patchen' s  Early  Performances.  —  Dan  Mace  as  a  Driver  and 
Rider.  — Flora  and  Ethan  Allen.  —Flora  and  Patchen  again.  — The  best 
Race  ever  made  by  Flora,  and  the  best  a  Stallion  ever  made. 

FLORA  TEMPLE,  after  her  grand  exploit  at  Kala- 
mazoo,  went  to  Cleveland,  where  she  beat  Princess  with 
great  ease  and  in  poor  time ;  and  then,  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  on 
the  28th  of  October,  she  beat  Ike  Cook.  They  had  four  heats 
of  it :  the  second  was  a  dead  heat.  The  time  was  slow  in 
all  of  them.  At  Buffalo,  on  the  2d  of  November,  Flora 
beat  Ike  Cook  in  three  heats,  the  best  of  which  was  2m. 
23£s.  On  the  5th,  Flora,  Ike  Cook,  and  Belle  of  Saratoga 
went  three-quarter-mile  heats  in  harness ;  and  Flora  won  it 
in  three  heats.  On  the  llth,  Flora  and  Ike  Cook  trotted  at 
St.  Catharine's,  Canada;  and  the  mare  won  in  three  heats. 
That  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  last  of  Flora  Temple's 
hippodroming,  at  least  for  a  season. 

She  was  brought  to  New  York,  and  entered  for  a  purse  of 
$1,000,  given  by  the  Union  Course.  It  was  mile  heats, 
three  in  five :  the  mare  was  to  go  in  harness,  while  her  only 
competitor  was  to  go  under  saddle.  This  competitor  was 
the  famous  stallion  George  M.  Patchen,  who  had  not  been 
very  long  on  the  turf,  but  had  already  proved  himself  to  be 
fast  and  lasting,  and  good  in  every  way  of  going,  either 
under  saddle,  in  harness,  or  to  wagon.  He  was  a  powerful 
brown  horse,  that  had  been  foaled  on  the  farm  of  W.  H. 
Sickles,  which  is  about  half-way  between  Keyport  and 

809 


310  THE  TROTTING-nORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

Freehold,  N.  J.  The  mare  that '  dropped  him  belonged  to 
Mr.  Carman  of  Westchester  County.  She  had  been  sent 
to  Mr.  Sickles  to  be  wintered ;  and  it  was  not  thought  she 
was  in  foal,  though  she  had  been  covered :  in  fact,  Mr. 
Carman  told  Mr.  Sickles,  that,  if  she  was  in  foal,  he  might 
have  the  produce.  That  produce  was  Patchen.  He  was 
above  sixteen  hands  high,  with  great  strength  and  much 
bone.  He  was  coarse  about  the  head,  and  heavy  in  the 
carcass ;  but  though  he  was  what  you  might  call  a  plain 
horse,  his  points  were  uncommonly  strong  and  good,  and  his 
action  was  capital. 

He  had  good  blood  in  him  :  for  he  was  got  by  Cassius  M. 
Clay,  who  was  by  old  Henry  Clay ;  and  his  darn  was  by  a 
young  horse  who  was  own  brother  to  Trustee  the  trotter, 
So  here  was  the  Bashaw  blood  through  Andrew  Jackson,  the 
Messenger  blood  also  through  him,  the  blood  of  imported 
Trustee,  and  the  blood  of  the  famous  trotting-mare  Fanny 
Pullen,  who  was  herself  a  high-bred  trotting-mare.  Some 
have  doubted  whether  the  sire  of  Patchen's  dam  was  own 
brother  to  Trustee  the  twenty-miler  j  but,  after  inquiry,  I 
have  reason  to  believe  so.  Her  sire  was  a  three-year-old  colt, 
by  imported  Trustee,  out  of  Fanny  Pullen.  Patchen's  dam 
was  probably  the  only  foal  he  ever  got ;  for  he  was  soon  made 
a  gelding,  and  was  driven  for  many  years  by  a  gentleman  in 
Westchester  County.  He  was  himself  a  fast  and  stout 
trotter. 

In  1858,  Patchen  was  matched  against  Ethan  Allen,  mile 
heats,  three  in  five,  to  lOOlb.  wagons.  The  little  horse 
distanced  the  big  one  in  2m.  28s.  But,  while  Flora  was  upon 
her  exhibitions  in  the  West  with  Princess,  Patchen  had 
performed  on  Long  Island  and  at  Philadelphia  with  great 
success  and  distinction.  He  had  been  sold,  in  whole  or  in 
part,  to  John  Buckley,  and  was  trained  and  driven  by 
Darius  Tollman.  He  had  that  season  beaten  such  horses 
as  Brown  Dick  and  Lancet ;  had  trotted  two  heats  in  har- 
ness in  one  race  in  2m.  26|s.,  and  2m.  26^-s. ;  and,  in  another 


THE  TROTTING-IIOESE  OF  AMERICA.  311 

race,  lie  had  gone  in  2m.  25£s.  under  the  saddle.  He  was, 
therefore,  no  mean  opponent  for  the  very  best. 

The  day  for  this  trot  was  the  21st  of  November.  It  was 
a  cold,  raw  day,  with  a  strong  wind  blowing;  and  the  course, 
as  is  almost  always  the  case  so  late  in  the  season,  was 
heavy.  James  McMann  drove  the  little  mare ;  and  Dan 
Mace,  a  rider  and  driver  of  uncommon  resolution  and  ability, 
was  on  the  stallion.  Mace  is  one  of  the  best  drivers  that 
we  have ;  but,  according  to  my  notion,  his  horses  break  more 
than  trotters  ought  to  do.  I  think  it  should  be  the  aim  of 
the  trainer  and  driver  to  keep  the  horse  at  or  near  his  best 
on  a  trot ;  to  teach  him  to  stay  there  when  going  fast ;  and  to 
depend  upon  his  steady-trotting  powers,  instead  of  using 
him  to  relieve  himself  three  or  four  times  in  every  mile  by 
getting  up.  But,  in  a  race,  Mace  is  an  opponent  that  needs 
watching.  He  is  very  resolute,  and  the  horses  he  handles 
know  it.  His  judgment  is  good,  at  times  when  judgment  is 
absolutely  required,  which  is  just  when  some  people  lose  it. 
And,  besides  all  that,  he  knows  enough  to  wait  until  hi& 
time  has  come,  when  he  has  the  right  sort  of  horse.  The 
races  he  won  in  that  way  with  Buffalo  Prince  —  five  or 
six,  and  I  think,  once  or  twice,  seven  heats — were  very  cred- 
itable to  him  ;  and  it  is  no  more  than  proper  that  I  should 
say  so.  But,  with  all  his  skill  as  a  driver,  I  think  he  was, 
as  a  rider,  equally  in  the  right  place.  His  style  is  not  quite 
as  elegant  as  is  sometimes  seen  ;  but  he  seems  to  grow  out 
of  his  horse,  and  to  squeeze  him  with  a  clip  of  the  knees 
like  the  gripe  of  a  vice.  His  hand  upon  the  bridle  is  light 
and  delicate  until  the  horse  needs  help  to  finish ;  and  then  he 
takes  hold  of  his  head  with  a  power  that  seems  to  be  almost 
irresistible,  and  fairly  launches  him  over  the  score.  He,  as 
I  have  said,  was  upon  George  M.  Patchen  at  the  first  of  his 
meetings  with  Flora  Temple ;  and  he  afterwards  rode  Gen- 
eral Butler,  when  he  beat  Patchen  under  saddle,  and  was 
compelled  to  go  in  2m.  21s.  to  do  it. 

There  were  not  many  at  the  Union  Course  when  Flora 


312  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

and  Patchen  came  out  to  trot,  for  the  day  was  very  unpleas- 
ant. In  the  first  heat,  Patchen  took  the  lead,  and  was  two 
lengths  in  front  at  the  quarter.  On  the  back-stretch  he 
broke,  and  Flora  went  by  him ;  but  he  trotted  fast,  and,  after 
a  long  brush,  got  to  her  head  again  at  the  drawgate.  He 
did  not,  however,  succeed  in  keeping  to  his  trot,  but  broke 
again ;  and  she  won  in  2m.  28s.  In  the  second  heat,  they 
trotted  very  fast ;  the  stallion  going  like  a  whirlwind  in 
places,  but  not  with  the  steadiness  of  the  mare.  Her  even 
stroke,  and  fine  dash  at  the  conclusion,  won  it  in  2m.  23s. 
The  third  was  a  tremendous  heat.  Mora  was  first  over  the 
score  by  half  a  length,  in  2m.  24s. ;  but  the  heat  was  given 
to  the  stallion,  because  Flora  broke  near  home,  and  had 
crossed  him.  when  she  ought  not  to  have  done  so.  It  may 
be  doubted  whether  a  strict  construction  of  the  rules  would 
not  have  warranted  the  distancing  of  her ;  but  it  is  probable 
the  judges  based  their  decision  on  the  break,  and  not  on  the 
crossing. 

They  came  up  for  another  heat,  and  went  away  at  great 
speed  without  the  word.  It  was  getting  dark ;  and,  in  spite 
of  the  recall,  they  kept  on.  Flora  come  out  ahead  j  but  the 
judges  had  not  given  the  word,  and  declared  it  no  heat. 
The  race  was  postponed  until  the  following  day,  but  was 
never  trotted  out.  On  the  24th  of  November,  it  being 
Thanksgiving  Day,  Flora  Temple  and  Ethan  Allen  trotted 
for  a  purse  of  $1,500,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness. 
Flora  got  off  on  a  hobble,  broke  at  the  turn,  and  lost  the 
first  heat  in  2m.  27s.  The  second  heat  was  a  good  one. 
The  stallion  was  out-trotted  for  the  first  half-mile,  and  Flora 
took  the  pole  ;  but  he  got  to  her  head  as  they  swung  into 
the  straight  work,  and,  for  a  moment,  looked  like  winning  it. 
He  was,  however,  unable  to  maintain  the  pace,  and  broke. 
She  won  that  heat  in  2m.  26£s.,  and  took  the  third  and 
fourth  in  2m.  27s.,  2m.  29f.  They  had  not  yet  done  with 
her  that  winter;  for,  on  the  first  of  December,  she  trotted 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  against  Ethan  Allen, 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  313 

at  Baltimore,  and  beat  him  in  2m.  27£s.,  2m.  26^s.;  2m. 
25js. 

It  seemed  now,  that,  after  the  downfall  of  Princess,  and  the 
way  in  which  Flora  had  finished  up  her  long  and  arduous 
campaign  of  1859,  she  would  remain  at  ease,  the  acknowl- 
edged Queen  and  Mistress  of  the  Trotting-turf.  But  this 
was  not  the  case.  It  was  found  that  the  Jersey  stallion, 
George  M.  Patchen,  was  an  improving  horse ;  and,  in  the 
spring  of  1860,  he  was  matched  against  her  for  $1,000, 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  over  the  Union  Course. 
It  came  off  on  the  6th  of  June.  The  race  created  a  great  deal 
of  interest,  and  the  betting  ran  high.  The  friends  of 
Patchen  were  sanguine.  On  the  16th  of  May,  he  had  de-  - 
feated  Ethan  Allen  on  the  Union  Course  in  harness  in  2m. 
25s.,  2m.  24s.,  2m.  29s. ;  and  on  the  23d,  had  beaten  Ethan 
Allen  to  wagons  in  2m.  261s.,  2m.  27s.,  2m.  31s.  Still, 
the  memory  of  what  Flora  had  done  would  hang  in  the 
minds  of  the  people ;  and,  prior  to  the  day,  she  was  backed 
at  100  to  80.  The  day  was  as  fine  as  could  be  wished,  and 
there  was  an  immense  crowd  present.  The  horses  looked 
as  well  as  they  could  look.  James  McMann  drove  Flora, 
and  Tallman  did  the  same  for  Patchen.  Before  the 
start,  there  was  a  change  in  the  betting,  and  Patchen  was 
backed  at  odds  of  100  to  80. 

The  stallion  had  the  pole.  In  scoring  for  the  first  heat, 
he  seemed  to  have  the  foot  of  Flora,  and  went  flying  by  the 
stand  ahead  of  her,  as  many  as  five  or  six  times,  before  they 
got  the  word.  The  start  was  even ;  but  Flora  soon  made  a 
skip,  and  the  stallion  got  the  lead :  but  the  mare  caught, 
and,  going  on  with  uncommon  resolution,  headed  him, 
and  led  a  length  at  the  quarter  in  35s.  On  the  straight 
work,  she  drew  away  a  little  more ;  but  the  stallion  now 
made  a  great  burst  of  speed,  and  she  broke.  At  the  half- 
mile,  in  1m.  11s.,  he  had  a  lead  of  a  length,  and  soon 
increased  it  to  two  lengths ;  hut,  upon  the  turn,  the  mare 


314  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

squared  herself,  drew  up  to  him,  and  came  into  the  stretch 
with  him.  The  struggle  home,  was  one  of  the  fastest  and 
closest  things  that  ever  was  seen.  They  came  on  neck-and- 
neck  at  an  amazing  rate ;  and  within  three  strides  of  home,  it 
seemed  to  be  a  dead  heat.  McMann,  at  the  very  last,  struck 
Flora  sharply  with  the  whip,  let  go  of  her  head,  and  with 
one  desperate  effort  she  was  first,  by  a  throat-latch,  in  2m. 
21s.,  the  best  time  that  we  had  then  seen  on  the  Island. 
The  last  half-mile  had  been  trotted  in  1m.  10s.,  and  was 
a  neck-and-neck  race  nearly  all  the  way. 

In  the  second  heat,  Flora  was  two  lengths  ahead  at  the 
quarter-pole;  and  Patchen breaking  on  the  back-stretch, her 
lead  was  three  lengths  at  the  half-mile.  On  the  lower  turn 
he  closed  the  daylight ;  and  another  very  hard,  close  struggle 
up  the  home-stretch,  ended  in  his  defeat  by  only  a  neck 
in  2m.  24s.  Tollman  made  an  appeal  after  this  heat, 
alleging  that  McMann  had  driven  foul,  by  swerving  out, 
and  compelling  him  to  go  to  the  extreme  outside.  The 
judges  disagreed;  but  the  majority  overruled  the  objection, 
much  to  the  delight  of  the  largest  number  of  the  people 
present.  Many,  however,  believed,  and  still  believe,  that  if 
the  appeal  had  been  made  for  her  in  a  like  state  of  the  case, 
and  if  it  had  been  allowed,  there  would  have  been  quite  as 
much  hallooing. 

In  the  third  heat  they  got  off  well  together.  On  the  turn 
she  led  slightly,  being  on  the  inside,  and  at  the  quarter,  in 
36s.,  she  led  him  nearly  a  length.  He  now  made  a  wonder- 
ful effort,  and  trotted  one  of  the  best  quarters  that  I  have 
ever  seen.  He  was  nearly  a  length  behind  at  the  quarter- 
pole  in  36s. ;  at  the  half-mile  pole  in  1m.  10s.  he  led. 
Therefore,  he  trotted  this,  the  second  quarter  in  the  third 
heat,  in  better  than  34s.  On  the  lower  turn,  he  led  two 
lengths.  But  the  mare  now  gathered  herself  up  for  one  of 
her  rushes,  and  closed  with  him.  Up  the  stretch  it  was 
a,gain,  close  and  hot.  But  she  had  a  little  the  best  of  it, 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  315 

and  at  the  very  last  pinch  lie  broke.  She  won  in  2m.  2l£s. 
I  consider  this  the  best  race  that  Flora  Temple  ever 
made ;  and  as  the  stallion  was  so  little  behind  her  that  the 
difference  could  not  be  appreciated  by  timing,  it  shows  what 
a  remarkable  and  excellent  horse  he  also  was.  No  other 
stallion  has  ever  made  as  good  a  race  as  he  made  that  day. 


XXXIX. 

Flora  Temple  and  Fatchen,  Two-mile  Heats.  —  Flora  and  Patchen  at  Phila- 
delphia. —  Outside  Interference. 

ON  the  12th  of  June,  Flora  Temple  and  George  M. 
Patchen  trotted  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  at  the 
Union  Course.  The  capital  race  made  by  the  stallion  at 
mile  heats  emboldened  some  to  hack  him ;  hut  the  general 
puhlic  considered  the  little  mare  as  invincible.  She  was  the 
favorite  at  long  odds :  two  to  one  was  current,  and  in  many 
instances  a  hundred  to  forty  was  laid  ;  but  there  was  nothing 
to  justify  such  odds  as  this.  Flora  had  only  beaten  the  stal- 
lion in  the  mile-race  by  the  most  desperate  of  efforts,  and  in 
unparalleled  time.  It  was  true  that  she  was  known  to  be  a 
good  stayer ;  but  his  reputation  for  sticking  close  and  coin- 
ing again  was  also  great.  He  was  a  horse  that  would  blow 
so  hard  after  an  arduous  heat,  that  one  would  think  he  was 
distressed:  but  he  relieved  himself  quickly  in  that  matter; 
and  I  have  no  doubt  his  heart  was  large,  and  his  lungs 
sound  and  strong.  He  was  now  controlled  by  Mr.  Joseph 
Hall  of  Rochester ;  but  Tallman  still  trained  and  drove  him 
well.  The  expectation  of  the  people  was,  that  amazing  time 
would  be  made  in  this  race.  They  had  become  so  used  to 
the  cutting-down  of  old  Time  by  Flora,  just  as  he  cuts  down 
all  things  with  his  swinging  scythe,  that  they  looked  for 
what  was  extremely  improbable,  —  a  heat  better  than  that  in 
which  the  little  mare  beat  Princess  in  4m.  50|s.  Many  bfcts 
were  laid  that  a  heat  would  be  made  in  4m.  50s.  A  consid- 
erable number  of  men  went  as  low  as  4in.  48s.,  and  some 
put  the  time  down  to  4m.  46s. 

816 


THE  TROTTINO-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  317 

They  both  seemed  very  fit ;  and,  in  scoring,  Patchen's 
stride  was  particularly  bold  and  commanding.  The  mare 
was  fast  too ;  but  I  rather  fancied  that  she  was  somewhat 
short  and  hurried  in  her  action  that  day.  At  the  start  in 
the  first  heat,  Patchen,  having  the  pole,  drew  a  length  ahead 
at  the  quarter,  and  had  increased  his  lead  to  two  lengths  at 
the  half-mile  in  1m.  12s.  Mora  trailed  him,  hugging  close 
to  the  inside.  He  kept  the  pace  very  strong,  making  the 
second  half-mile  in  1m.  11s.,  and  thus  doing  the  first  mile 
in  2m.  23s.  Flora  still  kept  close  behind,  trailing.  On  the 
back-stretch,  the  stallion  broke,  and  Flora  passed  him.  He 
made  another  break ;  and,  on  the  lower  turn,  she  led  him  four 
lengths :  but  the  pull  that  Tallman  took  on  this  turn  greatly 
restored  his  horse,  and  Flora  herself  was  tiring.  When 
they  reached  the  straight  side  to  come  home,  the  bigj'pound- 
ing  stroke  of  the  stallion  came  closer  and  closer,  and  finally 
away  went  Flora  in  a  break.  The  stallion  got  the  lead,  and 
trotted  over  the  score  a  length  ahead  of  the  little  mare,  she 
being  on  the  run.  The  time  of  it  was  4m.  58|s. 

In  the  second  heat  there  was  an  even  start.  At  the  quar- 
ter, Patchen  led  but  a  neck  in  38s. ;  but  on  the  straight 
work  he  trotted  amazingly  fast,  and  passed  the  half-mile 
over  a  length  ahead  in  1m.  12s.  Flora  now  trailed  close  to 
the  inside,  and  unable  to  get  through  unless  he  should 
swerve  out,  or  make  a  bad  break  ;  in  which  latter  case  she 
might  have  gone  round  him.  As  they  came  on  inside  of 
the  distance,  he  broke ;  but  the  mare  was  in  the  pocket, 
and  not  in  a  situation  to  take  advantage  of  it,  and  keep  him 
bothered  by  going  right  to  his  head.  The  consequence  was, 
that  the  stallion  caught  again,  settled  to  his  trot,  and  passed 
the  score  in  the  lead  in  2m.  25s.  I  have  always  thought 
that  there  was  an  error  in  judgment  made  by  the  driver  of 
Flora  that  day ;  but  it  is  quite  likely  that  the  stallion  would 
have  defeated  her  under  any  circumstances ;  for,  well  as  she 
looked  outwardly,  she  was  not  quite  up  to  the  mark.  Patch- 
en  now  increased  his  lead.  At  the  half-mile  pole,  he  was 


318  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

two  lengths  and  a  half  ahead,  and  she  was  tired  and  beat. 
He  won  it  very  easily  in  4m.  57  £s.  A  great  deal  of  money 
was  lost  and  won  on  this  race. 

Two  matches  were  made,  to  be  trotted  at  Suffolk  Park, 
Philadelphia,  the  first,  mile  heats,  three  in  five  ;  the  second, 
two-mile  heats.  The  first  of  them  was  trotted  on  the  4th 
of  July.  Flora  was  the  favorite  at  100  to  TO.  The  race 
was  the  fastest  and  best  that  ever  was  trotted  at  Philadel- 
phia. In  fact,  few  ever  surpassed  it  anywhere.  In  the  first 
heat,  Flora  was  half  a  length  ahead  at  the  quarter,  in  34|s. 
Just  before  they  reached  the  half-mile,  Patchen  got  to  her 
head,  and  even  showed  in  front  for  a  moment ;  but  she  was 
going  too  fast  for  an  endeavor  to  pass  her  to  be  safe,  and  in 
making  such  an  effort  the  stallion  broke  up.  She  led  at  the 
half-mile  in  1m.  09^s.,  and  opened  a  gap.  He  afterwards 
closed  it ;  and,  on  the  straight  work,  coming  home,  got  to  her 
shoulder.  But  she  had  a  link  in ;  and,  when  she  let  it  out, 
he  broke  again.  She  won  in  2m.  22  |s. 

In  the  second  heat  they  trotted  nearly  neck  and  neck  to 
the  quarter  in  35£s.  Flora  led  a  trifle  there.  On  the  back- 
stretch  he  out-trotted  her,  and  led  half  a  length  ;  but  just 
before  they  got  to  the  half-mile  pole  she  collared  him  again, 
and  made  the  pole  in  1m.  10|s.  Then  she  broke,  and  he 
took  the  lead ;  then  he  was  so  hard  pressed  in  his  effort  to 
maintain  it,  that  he  broke,  and  she  was  once  more  in  ad- 
vance. At  the  head  of  the  stretch,  they  were  nearly  neck 
and  neck,  and  doing  their  very  best.  It  need  not  be  said 
that  their  best  trotting,  neck  and  neck,  at  the  rate  of  about 
2m.  20s.  to  the  mile,  was  very  fine.  It  is  a  spectacle  which 
has  very  seldom  been  seen,  except  in  the  races  between  Flora 
and  George  M.  Patchen ;  for  they  were  the  only  two  that 
came  together  capable  of  doing  it,  heat  after  heat.  There 
had  not  been  another  horse  that  had  been  so  close  to  Flora 
Temple  herself  in  speed,  in  ability  to  stay  a  distance,  and 
in  apparent  endurance  and  capacity  to  keep  at  it  race  after 
race,  as  George  M.  Patchen.  The  finish  now  was  very  fine. 


THE   TROTTINr  HORSE   OF  AMERICA.  319 

Half-way  up,  wht-n  she  led  him  only  a  neck,  he  broke,  and 
away  she  went  ahead  above  a  length ;  but  he  soon  caught, 
and  rushed  at  her  again  with  such  speed  and  resolution  that 
he  was  at  the  girths  when  she  crossed  the  score  in  2m.  21|s. 
Before  they  trotted  the  third  heat,  there  was  a  great  storm 
of  rain,  and  the  track  became  very  muddy.  Some  held  that 
this  was  favorable  to  the  stallion,  but  I  could  never  see  why. 
Flora  was  good  in  all  sorts  of  going ;  and  I  do  not  believe 
that  the  ability  to  go  fast  in  mud  depends  upon  size.  Yet 
people  said,  "  He  is  a  big,  strong  horse,  and  that  helps  him 
to  get  through  mud.'7  Now,  her  action  was  better  calculated 
for  heavy  going  than  his  was ;  and  the  shape  and  size  of 
her  feet  were  as  near  perfection  for  mud  or  hard  road,  rain 
or  shine,  as  any  I  ever  saw.  At  the  first  quarter  of  the 
third  heat,  they  were  together  in  37s.  Just  before  they  got 
to  the  half-mile,  Flora  broke;  at  the  half-mile,  in  1m.  17£s., 
he  led.  When  the  mare  settled,  she  gradually  drew  towards 
him,  carried  him  to  a  break  on  the  home-stretch,  and  won 
in  2m.  37|s. 

On  the  10th  of  July,  Flora  and  Patchen  trotted  two-mile 
heats  at  Suffolk  Park.  Previous  to  the  race,  the  stallion  was 
sold  to  Mr.  Waltermire,  of  New  York,  who  afterwards  was 
the  sole  owner  of  him  to  the  day  of  his  death.  The  odds 
were  a  hundred  to  seventy  on  Flora  Temple.  Before  the 
race  there  was  a  dispute,  and  Tallman  refused  to  start.  It- 
caused  a  delay  until  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  preju- 
diced many  people  against  the  horse.  When  they  came  on 
the  course,  the  odds  on  the  mare  advanced  to  as  much  as 
$100  to  $40.  The  stallion  out-scored  Flora,  and  it  was 
some  time  before  they  got  the  word.  He  had  the  best  of  it 
by  a  length  when  the  judges  gave  the  start ;  and,  going  fast- 
before  Flora  got  well  at  work,  he  led  three  lengths  at  the 
quarter  in  35|s.,  and  the  same  distance  at  the  half-mile  in 
lin.  10s.  The  stallion  now  made  a  skip,  but  was  quickly 
and  neatly  caught  by  Tallman,  and  lost  nothing.  On  the 
home-stretch  the  mare  gained  on  him ;  but  he  was  first  over 


320  THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA. 

the  score  in  2m.  22s.  After  going  by  the  stand  he  increased 
his  lead,  and  at  the  half-mile  pole  had  three  lengths  the 
best  of  it.  They  came  home  in  the  same  position ;  and  the 
stallion  won  the  heat  in  4m.  51  Js.,  which  is  the  best  two 
miles  in  harness  that  ever  was  trotted  except  Flora's  4m 
504s. 

The  layers  of  the  odds  now  got  alarmed,  and  100  to  40 
was  laid  upon  the  stallion.  In  scoring  for  the  second  heat, 
Patchen  broke  just  before  they  reached  the  stand,  and  some 
outsider  called  "  Go ! "  They  went  on,  believing  it  to  be  a 
start ;  but,  on  coming  round  to  the  stand  again,  the  judges 
informed  them  that  the  word  was  not  given.  Thereupon 
Tallman,  who  was  behind,  pulled  up  ;  but  McMann  kept  on, 
and  jogged  round.  A  great  row  ensued,  in  which  the 
judges  were  threatened  with  summary  violence  if  they  did 
not  award  the  race  there  and  then  to  Flora  Temple ;  but 
being  men  of  knowledge  and  firmness,  they  disregarded  all 
this,  and  declared  that  no  heat  at  all.  They  were  quite 
right.  The  officious  attempt  to  give  a  word  by  an  outsider 
I  have  often  seen,  and  it  is  a  great  nuisance.  In  the  first 
place,  it  is  an  insult  to  the  ability  and  impartiality  of  the 
gentlemen  who  have  been  selected  to  judge  the  race.  In 
the  next  place,  it  is  likely  to  confuse  the  drivers.  There- 
fore, anybody  who  does  it  ought  to  be  expelled  from  the 
course. 

In  the  second  heat,  the  mare  took  the  lead,  and  led  a 
little  at  the  half-mile  in  1m.  14^s.  She  then  broke  and 
lost  a  little,  but  trotted  fast  on  the  home-stretch,  and  got 
to  her  wheel,  when  he  was  broken  up  by  the  crowd,  who 
pressed  upon  him  with  that  intent.  Flora  was  three 
lengths  in  the  lead  at  the  score  in  2m.  28s.  In  the  second 
mile,  he  trotted  well,  but  made  a  couple  of  little  breaks. 
At  the  head  of  the  stretch,  Flora's  lead  was  three  lengths, 
but  the  stallion  now  began  to  close  with  her.  She  was  tired, 
and,  in  spite  of  McMann's  whip,  Patchen  came  fast  and  hard 
upon  her ;  and  now  there  was  an  outrage  such  as  was  seldom 


THE  TROTT1NG-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA.  321 

seen  upon  a  race-course.  Just  as  Patchen  was  getting  the 
best  of  it,  a  band  of  men  ran  out  at  him,  and  threw  clubs  and 
hats  in  his  face.  In  consequence,  he  broke,  swerved  behind 
Flora's  sulky,  and  she  was  first  at  the  score  in  5in.  l|s. 

Patchen  was  then  withdrawn,  and  Flora  was  declared  the 
winner ;  but  the  decision,  to  my  mind,  was  unsatisfactory. 
If  the  horse  had  not  been  interfered  with,  it  is  probable  that 
he  would  have  won  that  second  heat.  It  is  quite  true,  that  he 
was  not  interfered  with  by  Flora  or  by  her  driver ;  but  he  was 
by  her  outside  backers.  Therefore,  the  judges  would  have 
been  justified,  I  think,  in  declaring  that  there  had  not  been 
a  fair  race ;  that  it  was  out  of  their  power  to  have  a  fair 
race ;  and  that,  this  being  so,  the  whole  affair  should  end 
there  and  then  in  a  draw.  The  best  way  to  discourage 
rioting  and  roguery  upon  our  race-courses  is  to  take  care 
that  the  guilty  parties  shall  never  secure  their  sole  object, 
the  plunder.  As  long  as  they  are  permitted  to  get  and  hold 
the  money,  they  will  care  but  little  for  what  people  say  to 
them  in  the  newspapers,  or  otherwise. 


31 


XL. 


Flora  Temple  and  Patchen  again.  — A  Dishonored  Check.  —  Appeal  to  aid 
Decision  of  the  Judges.  —  Flora  and  Brown  Dick.  —  Flora  and  Ethan 
Allen.  —  Flora  and  Patchen  again.  —  Flora  against  Dutchman's  Time. 

ON  the  second  day  of  August,  in  the  hottest  time  of  the 
year,  and  on  a  very  warm,  drowsy  day,  Flora  Temple 
and  Patchen  came  together  again.  It  was  mile  heats,  three 
in  five,  for  $500,  and  seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  gate- 
money  to  be  divided  between  them.  They  both  looked  well, 
and  Mora  was  the  favorite  at  100  to  80.  The  Philadelphia 
squabbles  were  not  yet  quite  over.  McMann  held  a  check 
for  $500,  which  had  been  put  up  against  his  $500  at  Phila- 
delphia in  the  first  race  there.  Since  the  race,  payment  of 
it  had  been  stopped;  and  he  now  asked  the  judges  to  re- 
quire it  to  be  made  good  before  Patchen  was  allowed  to  start. 
This  was  resisted  by  Waltermire,  upon  the  ground  that  he 
was  not  responsible  for  acts  done  by  Hall  of  Rochester,  who 
had  now  no  interest  whatever  in  the  stallion.  But,  in 
answer  to  this,  James  McMann  replied,  that  the  match  he 
had  made  and  won  was  made  with  Tallman,  who  appeared 
here  again  with  the  horse.  The  judges  decided  that  they 
could  not  interfere,  and  I  think  they  were  right.  It  is 
probable  James  McMann  knew  that  Hall's  check  was  staked 
against  his  money ;  and,  if  he  did  not,  he  waived  his  right 
to  object  to  it,  when  he  received  it  as  part  of  the  stakes. 
The  judges  then  could  not  prevent  Patchen  from  starting, 
so  far  as  I  can  see.  Hall's  check  had  been  accepted  as  pay- 
ment by  McMann  ;  and  it  was  not  Tallman's  fault  that  it 
was  dishonored.  But,  nevertheless,  McMann  was  fully  en- 

822 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  323 

titled  to  the  money ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  Hall  was 
compelled  to  pay.  After  having  got  $20,000  for  the  horse, 
which  was  said  to  be  his  price,  this  stopping  of  the  check 
was  small  business. 

The  race  now  on  hand  was  not  as  good  as  that  which 
was  witnessed  when  they  came  together  on  the  same  course 
the  first  time  that  year.  That  was  a  race,  the  like  of  which 
I  have  never  quite  seen  for  speed,  obstinacy  of  contest,  and 
close  finish.  This  in  August  was  very  fast  also ;  but  the 
mare  won  with  more  ease.  When  they  met  early  in  June, 
it  was  her  first  race  that  season ;  while  Patchen's  trots  with 
Ethan  Allen  had  served  to  sharpen  up  and  season  him. 
Besides  that  consideration,  there  is  another.  This  was  her 
fifth  race  with  him  that  year,  and  all  of  them  had  been  very 
fast.  Now,  about  four  races  with  Flora  was  enough  to  take 
a  little  of  the  fine  edge  off  any  horse  that  ever  trotted  with 
her,  if  the  pace  was  strong.  It  took  more  to  get  Patchen 
down  completely  within  her  power,  than  it  had  ever  done 
with  any  former  horse ;  but,  if  the  process  was  slow,  it  was 
sure,  as  we  shall  presently  see.  In  the  first  heat  of  this 
race  at  the  Union,  they  started  well  together,  after  scoring 
four  or  five  times,  in  which  Patchen,  as  usual,  displayed 
great  speed  on  the  straight  work.  On  the  turn,  his  inside 
place  gave  him  a  little  advantage,  and  the  mare  made  a 
skip.  McMann  caught  her  on  the  jump ;  but  he  led  a 
length  and  a  half  at  the  half-mile  pole  in  1m.  '11s.  This 
lead  was  maintained  all  round  the  lower  turn  and  somewhat 
increased  on  the  stretch.  At  the  draw-gate,  James  called 
upon  the  little  mare,  and  she  appeared  to  collect  herself  for 
one  of  her  grand  rushes ;  but  she  did  not  get  the  right 
stroke,  and  tangled  all  up,  so  that  he  won  in  2m.  23|-s.,  and 
she  ran  over  the  score  a  couple  of  lengths  behind  him. 

It  was  now  a  100  to  40  on  Patchen.  He  seemed  some- 
what distressed,  but  Ae  was  a  horse  that  got  over  his  blow- 
ing in  an  admirable  manner.  After  some  scoring,  Mc- 
Mann rather  caught  Tallman  napping ;  and,  Flora  getting 


324  TUE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

up  to  one  of  her  rapid  bursts  of  speed,  she  headed  the 
stallion  at  the  score,  and  got  the  word  to  her  advantage. 
She  seemed  determined,  now  that  she  was  ahead,  to  keep 
there ;  and  by  very  fast  and  resolute  trotting,  she  dropped 
him  behind,  so  that  she  led  four  lengths  at  the  quarter. 
At  the  half-mile,  in  1m.  11s.,  he  got  closer  to  her,  and  he 
gained  slowly  on  the  lower  turn.  In  the  stretch  he  was 
near  enough  to  her  to  be  dangerous ;  and,  as  she  made  a 
skip,  it  looked  so.  But  James  caught  her  again  at  the  in- 
stant of  time,  and  on  she  came.  In  the  endeavor  to  col- 
lar her  the  stallion  broke,  tired,  and  Flora  won  by  three 
lengths  in  2m.  22^s. 

In  the  third  heat  they  got  away  together  at  a  great  rate, 
and  the  stallion  soon  broke.  He  lost  four  lengths  by  it. 
On  the  second  quarter  they  trotted  very  fast,  —  about 
thirty-four  seconds  being  the  time.  At  the  half-mile,  she 
was  leading  three  lengths  and  a  half.  On  the  lower  turn, 
he  got  closer,  and  they  came  up  the  stretch  with  little  day- 
light between;  but  before  they  got  home,  he  broke,  and  she 
won  in  2m.  23|s.,  by  four  lengths.  This  was  very  great 
trotting ;  and  though  Patchen  was  surely  being  defeated, 
and  was  the  worse  oif  the  further  he  went,  he  certainly 
made  a  good,  game  fight  for  it.  In  the  last  heat,  Flora  led 
all  the  way,  except  for  a  stride  or  two  at  the  start,  and  this 
she  won  in  2m.  25  j s.  Take  away  their  own  race  in  June, 
and  this  in  August  was  the  best  that  had  ever  been  wit- 
nessed on  the  Union  Course.  Patchen  never  made  such 
another  in  harness ;  and,  as  he  went  on  with  her  in  her 
customary  tour  that  fall,  she  took  more  and  more  of  the 
steel  out  of  him,  just  as  she  had  formerly  done  out  of 
Princess  and  all  the  others  that  ventured  on  a  long  cam- 
paign against  her. 

After  this  race  Flora  went  to  Fonda,  and  beat  Brown 
Dick,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  in  three  heats. 
On  the  28th  of  the  same  month  she  met  Geo.  M.  Patchen 
at  Boston,  at  the  Franklin  Course,  for  a  purse  of  $1,500, 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  325 

mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness.  The  niare  won  in 
four  heats,  the  second  heing  a  dead  heat;  and  the  best 
time  was  2m.  28|s.  On  the  15th  of  September,  she  was  in 
the  oak-opening  country  again,  among  her  friends  and 
admirers  at  Kalamazoo.  At  that  place,  on  the  15th  of 
September,  she  beat  Ethan  Allen  for  the  purse  of  $2,000, 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness.  Mora  won  in  three 
straight  heats,  the  best  of  which  was  the  last  —  2m.  23s. 

On  and  about  the  24th  of  September,  there  was  a  great 
gathering  of  turfmen  in  New  York.  The  four-mile  heat 
sweepstakes  then  pending  to  be  run  on  the  Fashion  Course, 
in  which  Planet,  Congaree,  and  Daniel  Boone  were  engaged, 
had  brought  gentlemen  here  from  all  over  the  Union,  — 
from  Virginia  and  Maryland  and  the  Carolinas;  from 
Alabama,  Louisana,  and  Mississippi ;  from  Kentucky  and 
Tennesee ;  and  from  the  great  rising  States  of  the  North- 
west. That  race  did  not  amount  to  much:  for  Daniel 
Boone  hit  himself  at  exercise,  and  was  unable  to  start ;  and 
Congaree  was  not  in  condition ;  so  the  Virginian  stable,  the 
chief  owner  of  which  was  Major  Thomas  Doswell,  a  man 
entitled  to  groat  respect,  obtained  a  very  easy  triumph. 

The  day  before  the  race  was  run,  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
entertaining  many  of  the  turfmen  at  my  house,  as  they 
had  come  over  to  the  south  side  of  the  Island  to  see  Flora 
Temple  and  Patchen  trot  two  mile  heats,  in  harness,  on  the 
Centreville  Course.  The  mare  was  the  favorite  at  about  a 
hundred  to  sixty.  Patchen  had  been  resting  since  their 
trot  at  Boston ;  while  Flora  had  been  to  Michigan  and  back, 
and  had  defeated  Ethan  Allen.  Nevertheless,  she  was  the 
favorite  at  these  long  odds,  and  her  condition  was  the  best ; 
yet  she  was  just  upon  the  point  of  being  overmarked  by  so 
much  work  and  travel.  On  the  day  before  she  had  tired  at 
her  work,  and  nothing  but  her  wonderful  capacity  of  com- 
ing round  quickly  made  her  fit  to  trot  the  next  day.  At  the 
start  in  the  first  heat,  Patchen  took  the  lead;  and  at  the 
half-mile  pole,  in  1m.  11s.,  he  was  two  lengths  and  a  half 


326  THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

ahead  of  her.  She  now  began  to  close  with  him,  and  they 
trotted  very  finely  to  the  end  of  the  mile.  At  the  score,  in 
2m.  23.,  her  head  was  at  his  wheel.  On  the  back-stretch 
she  got  to  his  head  and  he  broke,  whereupon  Flora  got  a 
lead  of  three  lengths.  On  the  lower  turn  he  made  another 
break ;  but,  even  after  that,  trotted  so  well  that  Flora  did 
not  win  it  easily.  They  were  both  whipped  on  the  stretch. 
She  won  by  a  couple  of  lengths  in  4m.  55^s. 

This  was  almost  five  seconds  more  than  she  had  beaten 
Princess  in ;  and  I  conclude  that  Flora  was  not  at  her 
best.  There  was  apparently  nothing  in  the  weather  or  the 
track  to  cause  her  to  require  more  time ;  and  yet  she  had  to 
be  whipped  to  get  the  second  mile  out  of  her  in  2m.  32  j. ; 
but  one  can  never  tell  precisely  what  fast  time  depends 
upon,  and  this  makes  time  an  uncertain  test.  It  could  not 
have  been  the  first  mile  in  2m.  23s.  that  made  them  quit  in 
the  second ;  for  they  had  both  gone  a  first  mile  as  fast  in  a 
two-mile  heat,  and  had  not  quit  in  the  second  mile.  My 
opinion  is,  that  neither  of  them  was  quite  up  to  the  mark 
that  day ;  and  I  give  it  here,  because  I  attribute  her  defeat 
in  the  attempt  to  beat  Dutchman's  time,  three  days  after- 
wards, to  the  fact  that  she  was  stale  and  not  at  her  best. 
In  this  two-mile  race  with  Patchen,  she  won  the  second 
heat  in  5m. 

On  the  27th,  she  was  brought  out  again  in  a  match 
against  time  for  $500  a  side,  to  beat  Dutchman's  three- 
mile  time  under  saddle.  This  was  7m.  32£s. ;  the  four- 
mile  running-time  of  Fashion.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say 
much  about  Dutchman's  time  here,  except  to  state  that  it 
was  not  all  he  was  capable  of,  by  any  means.  I  have 
said,  in  a  previous  chapter,  that  I  could  have  ridden  him 
that  day  ever  so  much  better  than  7m.  30s.,  —  from  7m. 
26s.,  to  7m.  28s. ;  therefore,  I  should  not  consider  it  a  very 
wonderful  thing  to  have  a  horse  come  out  and  beat  7m. 
32^s.  in  harness.  It  is  true  that  no  horse  has  ever  done  it ; 
but  I  have  driven  three  that  I  consider  were  quite  capable 


THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  327 

of  doing  it,  and  one  of  them  is  now.  I  allude  to  Dexter, 
who,  in  my  opinion,  would  stand  a  good  chance  to  beat  it, 
and  pull  a  wagon.  The  others  were  Flora  Temple  and 
General  Butler.  Patchen  could  perhaps  have  done  it  when 
he  was  at  his  best ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  John  Morgan 
could.  To  accomplish  this  feat,  a  horse  must  be  fast  and 
stout,  and  his  or  her  condition  must  be  as  near  perfect  as 
may  be.  He  must  have  a  great  deal  of  speed ;  for  no  horse 
can  stay  three  miles  except  by  keeping  well  within  himself. 
He  must  be  stout  and  honest ;  for  a  weak-constitutioned  or 
faint-hearted  one  will  be  sure  to  quit  before  he  has  finished 
the  job.  He  must  be  about  the  best  pitch  of  condition ;  for, 
if  defective  at  all  in  this,  the  trial  would  be  more  hope- 
less than  if  he  was  lacking  in  one  of  the  other  particulars. 
3STow,  we  knew  that  Flora  had  plenty  of  speed,  and  good 
bottom ;  but,  considering  her  race  with  Patchen  three  days 
before,  it  was  not  probable  that  she  was  at  or  near  her  best 
pitch  of  condition ;  but  a  great  many  people  never  took  that 
into  consideration  at  all,  and  she  was  backed  at  two  to  one. 
James  McMann  drove  her.  I  was  one  of  the  judges.  At 
the  start  she  went  off  at  good  speed,  but  was  not  altogether 
as  steady  as  her  backers  might  have  wished ;  for  she  broke 
twice  in  the  first  half-mile,  which  was  trotted  in  1m.  14-^s. 
The  first  mile  was  made  in  2m.  30|s.,  which  was  a  winning 
rate,  with  a  second  and  a  half  to  spare.  The  pace  was  now 
forced  too  much.  She  trotted  the  next  half-mile  at  the 
rate  of  2m.  25s.  to  the  mile,  and  the  whole  mile  was  2rn. 
27|s.  This  gave  her  a  large  margin  for  the  third  mile,  but 
left  her  with  little  or  nothing  to  do  it  with.  She  had 
trotted  the  two  miles  in  4m.  57^-s.,  and  now  she  had  only  to 
beat  2m.  35s.  in  the  last  mile  to  win ;  but  this  she  could  not 
do.  She  broke  badly  in  the  first  part  of  the  third  mile,  and 
her  time  in  it  was  2in.  36js.  Her  whole  time  was  7m. 
33|s.  It  was  now  mooted  whether  she  could  start  again 
that  day,  and  we  decided  that  she  could  j  but  this  is  not  to 
be  taken  as  a  general  precedent.  I  am  now  satisfied  that 


328  THE  TROTTING-BORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

when  there  is  a  race  against  time,  a  failure  in  one  trial 
beats  the  horse,  unless  it  has  been  stipulated  that  there 
shall  be  more  than  one.  Flora  tried  again,  but  was  7m. 
43£s.  in  the  second  trial.  It  was  urged,  that  as  the  Cen- 
terville  Course  was  more  than  a  mile,  Flora  should  be  al- 
lowed the  excess  three  times  over,  which  might  have 
brought  her  within  the  time ;  but  we  held  that  we  could  not 
allow  it  to  her.  This  question  was  debated  for  some  time, 
and  was  finally  left  to  Mr.  Wilkes,  who  decided  that  we 
had  not  been  in  error,  —  that  as  the  backer  of  Flora  took 
the  track  for  a  mile  when  he  made  the  match,  selected  the 
Centreville  to  trot  on,  he  could  not  be  allowed  for  its  over- 
measure. 


XLI. 

Flora  Temple  and  George  M.  Patchen  on  a  Tour.  —  Flora  and  Widow  Ma- 
chree.  —  Description  of  Widow  Machree.  —  Flora  and  Princess  again.  — 
Flora  and  John  Morgan.  —  Breeding  of  John  Morgan.  —  Description  of 
him. 

A  FTEB  the  failure  of  Flora  to  beat  Dutchman's  time, 
^LA_  she  started  out  upon  a  tour  with  George  M.  Patchen, 
upon  much  the  same  principles  as  those  which  controlled  in 
her  campaign  with  Princess.  They  were  at  Elmira  on  the 
3d  of  October,  and,  according  to  the  published  programme, 
trotted  for  a  purse  of  $2,000 ;  but,  if  anybody  paid  it,  a 
fool  and  his  money  then  parted,  for  the  mare  won  in  three 
heats,  and  the  best  time  was  2m.  30s.  It  seems  probable 
that  Tallman  and  the  owner  of  the  stallion  had  come  to 
the  conviction  that  he  could  not  beat  Flora  that  sea- 
son, and  had  made  up  their  minds  to  earn  his  share  of 
the  gate-money  as  easily  as  might  be.  On  the  17th,  they 
were  at  Watertown ;  and  here  there  was  a  good  race  between 
them.  The  track  was  heavy.  In  the  first  heat,  Flora  led 
all  the  way  by  two  lengths,  and  won  in  2m.  28s.  In  the 
second  heat  they  went  away  together,  and  she  had  a  little 
lead  for  three-quaters  of  a  mile.  But  the  stallion  wTas  close 
to  her ;  and  he  made  it  so  hot  on  the  homestretch  that  she 
broke,  and  he  won  in  2m.  26s.  But  the  little  mare  was 
not  to  be  beaten  in  the  race,  for  she  won  the  third  and 
fourth  heats  in  2m.  26s.,  2m.  25s. 

They  passed  on  to  Rochester,  and  there  had  another  race 
of  four  heats.  The  stallion  won  the  first,  and  the  mare  se- 
cured the  other  three.  The  time  was  2m.  29s.,  2m.  29s. 

329 


330  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

2m.  28s.,  2m.  30s.  On  the  27th  of  October  they  were  at 
Geneva,  and  trotted  on  a  heavy  course.  Flora  won  the  first 
heat  in  2m.  32s.  In  the  second,  she  was  defeated  in  2m. 
28s.  In  the  third,  she  beat  the  stallion  in  2ni.  29s.  But 
in  the  fourth  heat  she  was  distanced.  On  the  31st,  they 
reached  Corning;  and  there  the  mare  won  in  three  heats, 
with  2m.  31s.  the  best,  the  track  being  very  heavy. 

That  was  the  last  time  that  Flora  and  Patchen  trotted 
together,  I  believe.  There  was  much  talk  the  following 
spring  about  matching  them,  and  one  or  two  meetings  were 
held  at  the  office  of  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Times,"  for  the 
purpose  of  coming  to  some  definite  agreement.  But  they 
could  not  come  to  terms.  Mr.  Waltermire  and  Tallman 
declared  that  McMann  was  afraid  to  trot  the  mare  against 
Patchen  any  more.  But  the  truth  is,  that  James  was 
quietly  laying  back  to  entice  them  into  an  offer  to  trot  for 
a  large  amount  of  money,  and  finally  offered  to  trot  Flora 
against  him  any  race  they  could  name  in  harness  or  to 
wagon,  for  a  large  amount.  But  by  this  time  Mr.  Walter- 
mire  had  made  up  his  mind  to  let  Patchen  go  to  the  stud. 
I  do  not  think  that  he  could  have  balanced  the  books  with 
her  if  he  had  tried  again ;  for  events  afterwards  showed  that 
she  was  quite  as  good  as  ever,  if  not  better.  But  he  had 
stood  a  longer  and  stouter  struggle  with  her  than  any  other 
trotter  had  done.  He  beat  her  more  heats  than  any  other 
horse ;  and  most  of  the  heats  in  which  she  beat  him  were 
very  fast  and  close.  He  met  her,  too,  at  the  golden  prime 
of  her  life,  when  she  had  just  reached  the  full  maturity  of 
her  extraordinary  power. 

When  every  thing  is  considered,  I  am  under  the  impres- 
sion that  Patchen  was  the  best  horse  that  Flora  Temple 
ever  contended  with,  and  that,  therefore,  their  names  must 
go  down  linked  together  as  those  of  the  best  mare  and  the 
best  stallion  that  have  yet  appeared.  On  the  other  hand, 
James  McMann  has  a  leaning  to  the  opinion  that  the  very 
best  horse  she  ever  met  was  the  Chestnut  from  Kentucky, 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  331 

first  called  Medoc,  and  afterwards  John  Morgan.  Now,  it 
is  true,  as  we  snail  presently  see,  that  he  made  her  put 
forth  all  her  powers  to  beat  him,  especially  at  two-mile 
heats.  But  Patchen  did  this  more  than  once,  and  actually 
beat  her  two-mile  heats  as  well.  Moreover,  it  did  him  no 
perceptible  harm ;  for  he  was  still  very  fast  and  very  stout 
when  he  was  trained  again  to  trot  with  General  Butler, 
after  having  been  at  the  stud :  while,  as  regards  John  Mor- 
gan, the  race  appeared  to  upset  him.  It  "  cooked  his  mut- 
ton," as  the  saying  is,  and  he  never  was  as  good  again. 
With  this,  which  Patchen  well  deserved,  I  leave  him. 

But  Flora's  work  in  1860  was  not  ended  when  she  had 
done  with  Patchen.  James  McMann  would  make  hay  when 
the  sun  did  not  shine  as  well  as  when  it  did ;  and  so,  a 
purse  being  offered  down  at  Danbury,  in  Connecticut,  on 
the  15th  of  November,  he  took  Flora  there  to  trot  for  it. 
The  attachment  of  James  to  Flora  was  very  great.  He 
gloried  in  her,  and  often  reproved  the  boys  for  giving  her 
nick-names,  other  than  the  one  he  fondly  applied  to  her 
which  was  DOLLY  ;  but  it  must  be  confessed  that  he  kept 
her  busy,  and  at  it  early  and  late.  Her  opponent  at  Dan- 
bury  was  the  Widow  Machree,  a  mare  that  bade  fair  at  one 
time  to  win  a  place  only  second  to  that  of  Flora  herself, 
and  would  have  done  it,  in  my  opinion,  if  her  legs  had  been 
as  good  as  her  pluck  and  her  constitution  were.  The 
Widow  was  a  low,  wiry  chestnut,  with  all  the  hard,  con- 
densed quality  of  a  thoroughbred.  She  had  great  speed, 
she  was  capital  before  a  wagon,  she  was  as  game  a  mare  as 
any  that  I  remember ;  but  she  was  light  in  the  bone  below 
the  knee,  and  her  fore  legs  went  early.  The  truth  is,  how- 
ever, that,  with  proper  care  and  judicious  management,  they 
might  have  lasted  a  good  deal  longer.  She  was  one  of  the 
daughters  of  that  famous  horse  American  Star,  of  whom  I 
have  spoken  in  prior  chapters. 

At  Danbury,  the  mud  was  deep  and  heavy,  and  the 
weather  bleak  and  cold,  as  it  commonly  is  in  New 


332  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

England  in  the  middle  of  November.  Flora  Temple  and 
Widow  Machree  trotted  a  tremendous  race.  The  former 
won  it  in  three  heats,  and  the  fastest  was  2m.  30s. ;  the 
third  was  2m.  33s.  This,  in  the  state  of  the  ground  and 
the  weather,  was  justly  considered  amazing.  The  Widow 
is  no  longer  on  the  course,  hut  has  been  bred  to  Hamble- 
tonian,  by  whom  she  has  had  three  sons,  all  said  to  be  fine 
colts.  It  is  the  same  cross  that  produced  Dexter ;  and,  in 
.my  judgment,  there  is  none  better.  The  stallion  gives  the 
size  and  bone,  which  many  of  the  Star  mares  somewhat 
lack ;  while  they  supply  a  style  of  action  that  cannot  be  sur- 
passed, and  an  amount  of  pluck  and  gameness  that  never 
was  exceeded. 

In  the  year  1861,  Flora  made  her  first  appearance,  on  the 
21st  of  May,  at  the  Fashion  Course.  Her  opponent  was 
the  mare  Princess,  who  had  been  for  some  time  in  retire- 
ment. She  was  now  thought  to  be  in  fine  condition,  and 
had  trotted  so  well  in  private,  that  many  thought  she  would 
stand  a  good  chance  to  defeat  Flora,  who  had  just  come  up 
from  Charles  Lloyd's,  in  Jersey.  The  Fashion  Course  had 
lately  come  under  control  of  a  new  club,  composed  of  such 
gentlemen  as  Mr.  Pettee,  Mr.  Genet,  Shephard  F.  Knapp, 
Morgan  L.  Mott,  etc.  The  club  offered  a  purse  of  $500, 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  to  wagon,  for  Flora  and  Princess. 
The  latter  went  wrong  just  before  the  race,  being  sore  in 
the  fore-feet.  Flora  won  in  three  heats,  and  the  time  was 
slow. 

It  now  seemed  difficult  for  Flora  to  get  further  engage- 
ments ;  but  at  length  a.  new  candidate  for  the  highest  hon- 
ors of  the  turf  was  brought  on  from  the  West  to  trot  against 
her.  It  was  the  chestnut-gelding  Medoc,  or  John  Morgan, 
a  Kentucky  horse,  and,  I  think,  the  best  trotter  that  has  yet 
been  produced  there.  He  was  the  result  of  a  cross  between 
a  trotting-stallion  and  a  thoroughbred,  or  nearly  thorough- 
bred, mare.  His  sire  was  Pilot,  jun.,  a  son  of  old  Pilot  the 
pacer.  His  dam  was  by  the  race-horse  Medoc,  who,  being 


THE  TROTTING-nORSE  OF  AMERICA.  333 

a  son  of  American  Eclipse,  inherited  the  Messenger  blood 
through  the  famous  Miller's  Damsel.  This  latter  was  out 
of  an  imported  mare  by  Pot-8-os,  who  was  the  best  son  of 
English  Eclipse,  and  one  of  the  fastest  and  stoutest  running- 
horses  that  ever  was  trained. 

John  Morgan  was  a  golden  chestnut,  with  a  white  foot 
and  a  blaze  in  the  face.  He  was  sixteen  hands  high,  a 
powerful  horse,  with  great  bone,  and  fine,  bold  action.  He 
was  worked,  and  worked  hard,  even  when  two  years  old ;  and 
at  four  he  was  put  through  such  a  preparation  as  his  owner, 
Mr.  Bradley,  gave  to  the  running-horses.  In  my  opinion, 
his  early  and  severe  handling  was  a  great  evil.  It  did  not 
prevent  him  from  displaying  wonderful  speed  and  bottom ; 
but  it  cut  his  career  very  short,  to  what  it  might  otherwise 
have  been.  If  this  horse  had  not  been  trained  and  trotted 
until  he  was  four  or  five  years  old,  he  might  have  gone  on 
improving  so  as  to  beat  Flora  herself.  He  was  a  very  stout 
horse,  as  well  as  very  fast.  No  distance  seemed  too  long 
for  him.  He  was  trained  and  driven  in  Kentucky  by  his 
owner,  who  had  never  trained  and  driven  any  other  trotting- 
horse. 

After  having  won  two  and  three  mile  heats  in  Kentucky, 
he  was  sold  to  Mr.  George  Bockius  and  James  Turner,  for 
$6,000  or  $7,000.  They  brought  him  to  New  York,  and 
matched  him  to  trot  three  races  against  Flora ;  mile  heats 
three  in  five,  two-mile  heats,  and  three-mile  heats,  in  har- 
ness. The  races  were  trotted  on  the  Centreville  Course, 
the  first,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  was  on  the  13th  of  June. 
Very  few  thought  that  he  could  beat  Flora  at  mile  heats, 
and  the  bettting  was  100  to  20  on  her  before  the  start.  Still 
his  fine,  bold  action,  as  he  came  up  the  home-stretch,  seem- 
ingly with  the  power  of  a  locomotive,  greatly  impressed  the 
gentlemen  who  were  present.  Turner  drove  him,  and  the 
horse  was  a  little  too  powerful  for  him.  He  pulled  strong, 
and  had  run  away  once  or  twice.  Turner  had  been  sick ; 
and,  though  a  man  of  great  natural  courage,  he  was  a  little 
nervous. 


334  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

In  the  first  lieat  they  went  away  level,  and  the  quarter 
was  trotted  in  34s.,  Flora  having  a  lead  of  two  lengths. 
She  did  not  increase  her  lead,  and  the  time  at  the  half-mile 
pole  was  1m.  10|s.  He  now  drew  towards  her,  and  at  the 
head  of  the  stretch  was  at  her  wheel.  A  good  race  'home 
followed ;  and,  if  Turner  had  been  ahle  to  keep  up  his  pull,  it 
would  have  been  a  near  thing.  The  chestnut  broke  inside 
the  draw-gate,  but  caught  his  trot  well ;  and  Flora  only  beat 
him  a  length  and  a  half  in  2m.  24-|s. 

In  scoring  for  the  next  heat,  Flora  came  up  behind  several 
times,  and  finally  the  gelding  threw  one  of  his  shoes.  It 
was  replaced ;  but,  when  they  got  the  word,  he  made  a  wild 
break  just  as  he  neared  the  place  where  he  threw  it,  and 
Flora  took  a  lead  of  four  or  five  lengths.  He  broke  again 
on  the  back-stretch,  and  the  mare  won  the  heat  with  ease  in 
2m.  26s.  The  third  heat  was  very  much  like  the  second. 
Turner  was  tired,  and  could  not  stand  the  pull  of  the  horse. 
His  gait  was  so  bold  and  his  stroke  so  long,  that  he  could 
not  keep  up  to  it,  without  putting  considerable  weight  on 
the  bit.  He  broke  again  soon  after  they  got  the  word,  and 
lost  ground  that  he  could  never  make  up.  She  won  the 
heat  in  2m.  28Js.  The  friends  of  John  Morgan  were  some- 
what disappointed,  but  they  still  thought  that  he  would  do 
better  on  another  occasion.  In  this  they  were  quite  right ; 
for,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  he  made  her  trot  the  best 
two-mile  race  in  harness  that  she,  or  any  other  horse,  over 
made. 


XLII. 

Flora  Temple  and  John  Morgan.  —  The  Fastest  Two-mile  Race  that  had 
been  trotted.  —  Remarks  upon  the  Race.  —  The  Three-mile-Heat  Race. 
—  Flora  against  Ethan  Allen  and  a  Punning-Mate.  —  Flora  before  Gen. 
Grant.  — The  Widow  Machree. 

OK  the  lltli  of  June,  Flora  Temple  and  John  Morgan 
had  their  second  meeting  at  the  Centreville  Course,  to 
trot  two-mile  heats  in  harness.  It  was  a  most  beautiful 
day,  warm  and  bright,  with  the  atmosphere  of  that  genial 
and  active  sort  that  the  lungs  and  chest  seem  to  expand  at 
its  approach  to  take  plenty  in.  The  attendance  was  not  as 
large  as  it  would  have  been  if  the  people  had  known  what 
a  contest  was  about  to  take  place ;  for,  in  all  Flora's  career, 
she  never  made  quite  such  another  race  as  she  was  com- 
pelled to  do  on  this  occasion.  When  she  appeared  upon  the 
course,  she  looked  a  little  thinner  than  usual ;  and  she  speed- 
ily warmed  up  to  a  little  damp  sweat  upon  the  neck.  It 
was  understood  that  for  a  day  or  two  she  had  not  been 
feeding  as  greedily  as  she  usually  did.  In  common,  she  was 
a  very  voracious  feeder.  This  might  have  led  to  the  suppo- 
sition that  she  was  just  a  little  over-marked ;  but  her  eye 
was  bright,  her  coat  sleek  and  glossy,  and  her  nostril  ex- 
panded like  the  mouth  of  a  trumpet.  Therefore  I  concluded 
that  she  had  just  reached  the  finest  condition  to  which  she 
could,  in  all  probability,  attain. 

It  is  well  known  to  horsemen  who  are  close  observers, 
that,  though  a  horse  cannot  make  a  great  race  when  de- 
cidedly off  the  feed,  some  of  the  finest  efforts  that  ever 
were  made,  and  some  of  the  greatest  successes  that  ever  were 
won,  came  just  as  the  horse  was  beginning  to  get  dainty, 

835 


336  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

and  to  pick  and  nibble  at  the  oats.  This,  I  have  no  doubt, 
was  the  case  with  Flora.  John  Morgan  looked  all  the 
better  for  his  race  at  mile  heats ;  and  as  he  came  up  the 
home-stretch,  in  warming  up,  it  was  with  a  boldness  and 
power  of  stroke  that  seemed  to  indicate  uncommon  confi- 
dence and  resolution.  There  was  but  little  betting,  and  that 
little  was  at  three  to  one  on  Flora  Temple.  The  horse  was 
driven  by  Turner,  who,  not  from  any  lack  of  skill,  but  for 
want  of  bodily  strength,  was  likely  to  give  out  before  the 
trotter  did.  The  style  of  the  horse  was  of  that  sort  which 
requires  a  good  strong  pull  to  support  him,  especially  when 
he  tried  to  keep  up  his  great  stroke  in  going  round  the  turns. 
If  he  could  have  had  a  chance  at  Flora,  two  miles  straight 
away,  on  a  good  dirt-road,  it  is  my  belief  he  would  have 
beaten  her. 

In  the  first  heat,  they  went  away  well  together ;  but  he 
seemed  to  hang  on  the  turn,  while  she  made  one  of  her 
electric  rushes,  and  took  the  pole  from  him.  She  went  on 
to  the  half-mile,  with  a  lead  of  two  lengths,  in  1m.  12-|s. 
The  chestnut  began  to  close  with  her  on  the  lower  turn ;  and, 
at  the  head  of  the  stretch,  he  was  at  her  wheel.  Here  he 
lay  coming  up  the  stretch,  on  which  he  made  a  little  skip, 
but  caught  well.  The  mile  was  trotted  in  2m.  27s.,  the 
mare  being  a  length  ahead  at  the  score.  Again,  in  round- 
ing this  upper  turn,  he  lost  some  ground,  but  on  the  back- 
stretch  made  it  up,  and  placed  his  head  at  her  wheel.  On 
the  lower  turn,  he  got  to  her  quarters  ;  but,  when  they  had 
swung  into  the  home-stretch,  her  inside  place  brought  her  a 
length  ahead  of  him.  Turner  now  called  upon  him ;  and, 
the  work  being  straight  ahead,  he  answered  with  such  an 
effort  that  he  gained  upon  her  inch  by  inch.  It  was  a  very 
fine  spectacle.  At  the  distance  he  had  got  to  her  head,  and 
it  looked  as  though  he  would  win  it.  But  the  little  mare 
was  not  yet  all  out.  McMann  shook  the  whip  over  her ;  and, 
the  crowd  setting  up  a  shout,  she  made  a  desperate  effort, 
and,  getting  her  nose  in  front  of  him  again,  she  managed  to 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  337 

keep  it  there  in  spite  of  all  liis  efforts,  and  won  by  a  head. 
It  was  one  of  the  finest  finishes  that  I  remember  to  have 
seen,  when  the  big  horse  began  to  out-trot  her  up  the  stretch, 
and  she,  making  a  grand  rally  as  she  saw  his  smoking 
nostril,  succeeded  in  just  beating  him  out.  The  time  was 
4in.  55£s. 

Between  the  heats  they  both  showed  that  their  condition 
was  good,  and  that  they  were  good-winded  ones.  In  die 
second  heat  they  started  even ;  but  Flora  was  the  quickest 
beginner,  and  began  to  draw  ahead  at  the  turn.  Turner, 
indeed,  was  afraid  to  let  his  horse  out  at  first,  for  fear  that 
he  might  break.  The  little  mare  went  on  until  she  was 
three  lengths  ahead  of  him ;  but  when  he  got  well  settled  into 
his  stroke,  on  the  back-stretch,  he  began  to  overhaul  her. 
At  the  half-mile,  in  1m.  12£s.,  he  was  an  open  length 
behind  her,  and  at  the  head  of  the  stretch  had  shut  up  the 
daylight.  The  first  mile  was  2m.  26s.,  Flora  leading  a 
length  and  a  half.  He  lost  a  little  on  the  turn,  as  usual ; 
but  on  the  back-stretch  he  trotted  in  magnificent  style,  and 
showed  a  truly  great  rate  of  speed  for  the  sixth  quarter  of 
a  two-mile  heat.  At  the  half-mile  pole,  he  was  at  her  quar- 
ters, and  his  head  reached  her  flank.  McMann  set  up  a  yell 
at  her,  or  perhaps  at  him,  and  he  broke.  But  he  caught  in 
fine  style,  and,  losing  but  little,  dashed  on  after  her.  At 
the  head  of  the  stretch  she  led  a  length ;  but  now  the  chest- 
nut came  on,  and  made  another  resolute  and  most  determined 
effort  to  get  the  heat.  He  gained  upon  her  inch  by  inch, 
until  at  the  distance  she  was  but  a  neck  in  front.  McMann 
put  the  whip  on  to  Miss  Flora,  and  Turner  held  John  Mor- 
gan to  his  brush  with  all  his  might.  But  it  lasted  a  little 
too  long.  He  broke  close  at  home,  and  she  won  the  heat  in 
4m.  52£s. 

When  the  heats  are  put  together,  it  will  be  found  that 

this  was  the  fastest  two-mile  race  in  harness  that  ever  was 

trotted;  and  it  shows  conclusively  that  John  Morgan  was  a 

tremendous  horse.     He  had  not  Jaa4  that  gradual,  patient 

22 


338  THE   TROTT1NG-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA. 

t 

development  which  I  contend  is  best  for  a  trotter,  if  not 
absolutely  necessary  to  make  a  first-rate  one.  Instead  of 
that,  he  had  been  knocked  about  at  tyro  years  old,  and  at 
four  was  put  through  a  preparation  like  that  which  running- 
horses  receive,  by  a  man  who  was  notorious  as  a  hard  worker. 
Yet,  as  we  have  seen,  he  compelled  Flora  to  do  a  greater 
thing  in  the  beating  of  him  than  she  had  been  called  upon 
to  perform  in  the  conquering  of  Princess  and  George  M. 
Patchen.  He  only  lost  the  race,  in  my  opinion,  because 
Flora  was  a  quicker  beginner  than  he  was,  and  her  driver 
had  recourse  to  the  cunning  tactics  of  rushing  off  with  her 
so  as  to  get  the  pole,  and  then  "  waiting  in  front."  I  think 
John  Morgan  should  have  forced  the  pace  more  in  the  first 
heat,  after  he  got  well  into  his  stroke.  Both  the  heats  were 
so  close  at  the  finish,  that  a  very  little  change  would  have 
made  the  result  different ;  and  in  both  heats  he  showed  the 
most  speed  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  mile.  In  the  first, 
she  was  a  length  ahead  of  him  when  they  entered  that 
quarter,  and  only  beat  him  out  by  a  head.  His  reputation 
for  stoutness  was  very  great ;  and,  if  he  had  forced  Flora  more 
in  the  mile  and  three-quarters  preceding,  he  might  have 
lasted  the  longest,  and  so  have  won  it.  Altogether,  it  was  a 
very  extraordinary  trot. 

On  the  18th,  they  met  again,  at  three-mile  heats,  and  the 
odds  were  100  to  40  on  the  mare.  The  reputation  of  John 
Morgan  as  a  three-mile  horse  had  been  very  great ;  but  then 
it  was  to  be  remembered  that  he  had  not  before  encountered 
any  trotter  that  could  carry  him  at  any  thing  like  the  rate  of 
Flora  Temple.  Moreover,  we  have  seen  that  she  was  such  a 
thorough  campaigner,  that  no  horse  had  been  found  able  to 
keep  at  the  same  relative  place  with  her  in  a  series  of  races 
.  as  he  began  with.  Lancet,  Princess,  and  Patchen  had  all 
proved  this  fact,  that,  the  further  they  pursued  their  contest 
with  her,  the  easier  they  were  defeated.  John  Morgan, 
great  horse  and  good  stayer  as  he  was,  proved  no  exception, 
and  was  the  last  of  her  illustrious  yictims.  The  two-mile 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  339 

race  had  taken  a  great  deal  out  of  liiin.  He  was  not  at  his 
best  on  the  day  of  the  three-mile  race  j  and,  what  is  more,  he 
never  again  came  hack  to  it. 

At  the  start,  he  had  the  inside,  but  broke,  and  she  took 
the  pole.  The  first  mile  was  trotted  in  2m.  29s.,  the  mare 
being  a  length  ahead  at  the  end  of  it.  On  the  turn,  she  in- 
creased her  lead ;  but,  on  the  back-stretch,  he  got  to  her 
quarters.  She  finished  the  second  mile,  which  was  trotted 
in  2m.  27s.,  with  him  at  her  quarters,  and  on  the  turn  he 
got  to  her  head.  They  went  neck-and-neck  for  a  short 
time,  and  then  the  chestnut  broke  ;  but  Turner  caught  him, 
and  Flora  soon  after  broke.  While  she  was  up  he  took  the 
lead,  and  this  was  the  first  time  he  had  ever  obtained  it  in 
their  races.  But  at  the  half-mile  pole  she  was  with  him 
again,  and  able  to  make  a  stout  struggle  for  victory,  while 
his  powder  was  burned  out.  He  died  away  to  nothing 
after  she  passed  him,  and  Flora  actually  walked  in,  — time 
7m.  47s.  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  hit  himself  in  the  last 
half-mile,  for  he  broke  three  or  four  times  in  coming  up  the 
home-stretch.  He  had  always  had  a  strong  liability  to  hit 
himself  from  over  action ;  and,  after  his  races  with  her,  it 
got  to  be  a  good  deal  stronger.  She  won  the  second  heat 
of  the  three-mile  race  in  7m.  48s. 

He  was  afterwards  matched  with  her  again,  but  hit  him- 
self in  his  work  and  paid  forfeit.  I  think,  that,  in  John 
Morgan,  the  material  out  of  which  one  of  the  finest  trotters 
that  our  country  ever  produced  might  have  been  made  was 
partly  ruined  by  overwork  at  an  early  age.  It  is  quite  true 
that  the  horse's  power  and  breeding,  and  Bradley's  forcing- 
system,  produced  a  wonder ;  but  it  was  a  marvel  of  very 
short  duration  to  what  we  might  have  witnessed  if  he  had 
been  handled  as  Flora  Temple  and  Dexter  were  in  their 
early  years. 

It  now  appeared  to  be  absolutely  certain  that  there  was 
not  a  horse  in  the  country  who  could  contend  with  Flora,  on 
even  terms,  with  any  hope  of  success.  She  was  the  mis- 


340  THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA. 

tress  of  them  all.  Therefore  it  seemed  to  be  probable  that 
she  would  get  a  period  of  repose.  But,  though  one  horse 
could  not  beat  her,  two  might ;  and  Joel  Holkam,  who  had 
control  of  Ethan  Allen,  had  found,  that,  assisted  by  a  run- 
ning-mate, he  could  trot  in  double  harness  at  an  immense 
rate  of  speed.  Flora  met  Ethan  Allen  and  his  running- 
mate  Socks  for  the  first  time  on  the  Union  Course,  July 
15.  Flora  went  to  a  wagon. 

I  shall  not  describe  these  races  at  any  length,  because  I 
do  not  consider  them  trotting-races ;  and  I  have  my  doubts 
whether  the  system  of  training  a  horse  to  trot  by  means  of 
having  a  runner  hitched  up  with  him  to  pull  the  weight  is 
a  good  one.  I  know  that  by  such  means  some  moderate 
horses  may  be  made  to  do  what  appears  to  be  a  very  re- 
markable feat;  and  this  makes  me  think  that  the  system 
may  be  deceptive  and  mischievous.  The  truth  seems  to 
be,  that,  in  that  way  of  going,  it  is  the  running-horse  that 
furnishes  the  moving-power.  The  trotter  is  almost  as 
literally  pulled  along  as  the  man  who  drives  and  the  wagon 
are.  The  team  beat  Flora  the  first  race  in  three  heats,  —  2m. 
22£s.,  2m.  22s.,  2m.  23|s.  But  inasmuch  as  the  team 
only  beat  the  mare  by  a  short  length,  in  2m.  22s.,  it  appears 
that  she  never  made  a  winning-heat  to  wagon  as  good  as 
she  showed  then.  On  the  25th,  they  met  again,  on  the 
Fashion  Course,  Flora  in  harness.  The  team  won  the  first 
heat  in  2m.  2l£s.,  and  was  distanced  in  the  second  heat, 
because  Ethan,  as  well  as  Socks,  ran  for  more  than  half  a 
mile.  A  viler  and  more  disgraceful  transaction  was  never 
witnessed  than  this  affair ;  and  it  is  greatly  to  be  regretted 
that  the  judges  did  not  declare  the  bets  off,  and  so  defeat 
the  ends  of  the  promoters. 

On  the  8th  of  August,  they  met  again  on  the  Union 
Course  ;  and  this  time  the  team  was  driven  by  a  man  who 
never  threw  a  race,  in  my  judgment,  —  the  late  lamented 
Horace  Jones,  who  was  drowned  in  the  Delaware  River. 
The  consequence  was,  that  they  won  easily  in  three  heats, — 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  341 

2m.  24fs.,  2m.  22s.,  2m.  22js.  Once  more  they  met, 
and  this  time  Joel  Holkam  drove  them  himself.  They 
won  again  in  three  heats,  and  in  the  fastest  equalled  Flora 
Temple's  time  in  harness  at  Kalamazoo,  —  2m.  19|s.  She 
was  only  defeated  by  a  head  in  this  fast  heat. 

After  this,  Flora  was  seized  by  some  officious  persons, 
and  an  attempt  was  made  to  confiscate  her ;  but  the  Gov- 
ernment ordered  her  to  be  restored  to  Mr.  McDonald,  and, 
when  she  was  given  up  to  him,  he  took  her  to  Baltimore. 
There  she  remaind  until  his  death.  She  was  then  pur- 
chased by  Mr.  A.  Welsh,  a  gentleman  of  wealth,  residing 
at  Chestnut  Hills,  Philadelphia.  She  was  again  put  in 
work ;  and  it  created  a  great  sensation  when  she  was  en- 
tered in  two  purses  on  the  Fashion  Course,  in  the  name  of 
Mr.  George  Wilkes. 

When  these  entries  were  made,  that  was  done  which 
ought  to  have  been  done  before.  She  was  sent  to  McMann 
again.  If  James  had  had  her  from  the  first  day  that  she 
was  put  to  work  again,  and  had  gone  at  her  with  his  cau- 
tious, gradual  method,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  she  would 
have  stood  a  preparation,  and  trotted  those  races  among 
horses  of  a  generation  that  was  foaled  after  her  name  was 
great.  The  last  time  Flora  appeared  on  a  public  occasion 
was  when  Gen.  Grant  reviewed  the  great  trotters  at  the 
Dubois  track.  She  showed  well  on  that  day ;  but,  soon  after, 
her  hind  legs  filled,  and  she  had  to  be  let  up.  If  she  had 
been  trained  on  in  1862  and  the  following  years,  instead  of 
laying  idle  so  long,  she  might,  perhaps,  have  continued  to 
improve.  Her  speed  had  come  to  her  gradually;  and 
though  it  may  be  said  she  was  then  too  old  to  get  any  bet- 
ter, I  am  unable  to  perceive  that  she  must  necessarily  have 
reached  her  best  in  the  fall  of  1861,  when  she  last  trotted. 
She  had  certainly  been  gaining  a  little  up  to  that  time ; 
and  why  should  we  conclude  that  she  had  then  ceased  to 
gain  ?  Her  constitution  was  wonderfully  good.  She  was 
a  younger  mare  in  the  fall  of  1861,  in  regard  to  health  and 


342  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

vigor,  than  thousands  who  had  not  numbered  half  her 
years. 

I  have  previously  stated  that  the  Widow  Machree  was 
a  speedy  mare  and  an  all-day  trotter ;  and,  as  I  have  always 
considered  her  among  the  most  reliable  and  gamest  trotting- 
horses  that  I  had  ever  driven,  I  will  give  a  sketch  of  her 
performances  while  in  my  stable  and  under  niy  observation. 
She  was  first  called  Mary  Hoyt.  In  the  spring  of  1859, 
she  was  purchased  by  Capt.  Isaiah  Kynders  of  New  York, 
of  James  W.  Hoyt  of  Middletown,  Orange  County.  After 
driving  her  on  the  road  a  short  time,  he  matched  her 
against  John  J.  Kelly's  bay  mare,  to  trot  two  miles  and 
repeat,  to  wagons,  over  the  Union  Course,  in  the  month  of 
August  following,  for  $1,700.  Her  name  was  then  changed 
from  Mary  Hoyt  to  Widow  Machree.  After  the  match 
was  made,  Mr.  Kelly  proposed  to  make  it  pay  or  play ; 
which  was  accepted,  and  the  money  put  up.  A  considerable 
amount  was  betted  the  same  way  before  the  race  came  off. 
Horace  Jones,  Alderman  Compton,  and  others,  backed  the 
Kelly  mare ;  Capt.  Rynders  backed  the  Widow.  The 
Widow  was  sent  to  my  stable  to  be  trained  for  the  race. 

I  knew  nothing  of  her  qualities,  except  that  I  had  heard 
she  was  a  good,  game  mare ;  and  the  captain  knew  about  as 
much  as  I  did.  After  I  had  worked  her  about  three  weeks, 
we  gave  her  a  trial  to  a  wagon,  a  mile  and  repeat.  I  did 
not  drive  her  to  the  top  of  her  speed  the  first  mile ;  but  I 
found  I  was  behind  a  trotter  of  no  ordinary  capacity,  and 
one  that  did  not  give  back  in  the  home-stretch.  The  second 
mile  she  was  timed,  and  made  2.34;  which  was  much 
better  than  we  expected.  We  did  not  time  her  again  until 
within  a  week  before  the  race.  We  gave  her  the  trial  a 
week  before  the  race,  two  miles  to  a  wagon. 

She  made  the  first  mile  in  2.35 ;  and  then  I  urged  her  a 
little  more,  and  she  came  round  the  second  mile  in  2.33 :  so 
I  was  informed  by  Mr.  Kynders,  who  held  the  watch.  I 
could  have  driven  her  faster  than  that ;  but  this  was  fast 


THE   TROTTING-nORSE  OF  AMERICA.  343 

enough  to  win  the  match  without  much  trouble.  The  race 
came  off  at  the  appointed  time ;  but  it  was  not  much  of  a  con- 
test, as  the  bay  mare  was  not  in  good  fix. 

We  got  the  word.  I  took  the  lead ;  and  the  bay  mare 
11  ver  got  alongside  of  me  after  we  went  a  hundred  yards : 
in  fact,  the  gait  was  nothing  more  than  a  good  exercise  for 
the  Widow.  I  think  the  time  was  5.30.  After  the  two- 
mile  race,  the  Widow  was  left  in  my  charge.  She  had  two 
or  three  forfeits  paid  to  her.  I  worked  her  moderately,  and 
she  grew  fleshy  very  quick;  being  at  all  times  a  good 
feeder. 

In  the  fall  following  the  race  in  August,  I  entered  the 
Widow  Machree  and  Frank  Temple  in  a  double-team 
trotting-race.  The  first  time  I  hooked  up  the  Widow  and 
Frank  Temple  together,  I  drove  round  the  Union  Course 
inside  of  2.40.  I  had  entered  the  Widow  for  a  purse  that 
was  offered  to  be  trotted  the  day  after  the  race  with  the 
double  teams  at  Boston.  The  day  before  the  race,  I  put 
them  on  board  the  steamer.  We  had  a  stormy  night ;  and 
the  horses  got  wet,  and  took  cold.  Frank  Temple  was  a 
little  off  his  feed  next  day :  not  so  with  the  Widow ;  she 
was  a  little  stiff,  but  took  her  feed  eagerly. 

We  took  the  cars  early  in  the  morning,  and  arrived  at 
Boston  in  good  time.  Three  teams  put  in  their  appear- 
ance, —  A.  Carpenter's,  William  Whelan's,  and  my  own.  I 
took  the  lead,  and  kept  it  easily,  and  could  have  distanced 
the  other  teams. 

I  noticed  in  this  heat  that  Frank  Temple  did  not  act  in 
his  usual  prompt  and  vigorous  style ;  and  this  I  told  to 
Capt.  Eynders.  Thereupon  he  cautioned  his  friends  not  to 
bet  long  odds.  They  had  been  offering  ten  to  one.  In  the 
second  heat  I  again  took  the  lead  without  much  trouble. 
Frank,  however,  tired  after  going  half  a  mile,  and  the 
Widow  had  to  do  all  the  work  herself  in  the  last  quarter ; 
but  we  won  the  heat.  Frank  Temple  was  evidently  out  of 
ix,  and  showed  distrais.  Still  I  thought  we  should  manage 


344  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

to  pull  through  ;  for  the  Widow  was  great  at  a  desperate 
pinch,  and  Frank  himself  was  a  very  gallant  little  horse. 
Capt.  Bynders,  however,  feared  defeat,  as  Carpenter's  team 
seemed  very  fresh  and  well. 

In  the  third  heat,  I  got  a  very  had  start,  heing  two 
lengths  behind.  Carpenter's  team,  Telemachus  and  Nellie 
Holcomh,  took  the  lead,  and  finally  won  the  race.  But  the 
unflinching  game  and  bottom  of  the  Widow  in  the  losing 
heats,  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth,  created  great  admiration, 
and  made  her  a  host  of  friends.  As  for  Frank  Temple,  he 
did  all  he  could  in  his  condition ;  and  neither  man  nor 
horse  can  do  more.  The  time  of  the  five  heats  was  2.55, 
2.50J,  2.42,  2.44^,  2.44.  Whelan's  team  was  distanced  in 
the  third  heat. 

When  we  took  the  team  to  their  stable  that  night,  I 
thought  neither  of  them  would  be  able  to  trot  again  that 
year.  In  the  morning,  I  found  the  Widow  laying  down 
and  eating  hay.  She  was  so  stiff  that  she  could  not  get  up 
without  our  help.  We  thought  she  had  trotted  her  last 
race ;  and  the  captain  said  he  would  sell  her  for  $500  ;  but, 
when  she  was  on  her  feet,  she  went  at  her  oats,  and  cleaned 
the  manger,  while  we  rubbed  her  fore  legs  with  warm 
lotions.  After  this  she  was  walked  for  an  hour. 

The  proprietor  of  the  course  said  that  the  people  would 
be  greatly  disappointed  if  she  did  not  start  in  the  race  in 
the  afternoon,  and  requested  that  she  might  be  led  by  the 
stand  that  her  unfitness  might  be  seen.  When  the  time 
for  the  race  came,  I  took  her  to  the  track,  and  drove  her 
past  the  stand  in  a  sulky.  She  could  hardly  put  one  foot 
before-  the  other.  The  other  horses,  Draco,  Somerville, 
Lady  Spurr,  and  Ephraim  Smooth  appeared.  I  had  jogged 
the  mare  round,  and  was  about  to  take  her  off,  when  I 
noticed  that  she  pricked  up  her  ears  at  sight  of  the  other 
horses,  and  acted  as  though  she'd  warm  up  and  get  limber. 
I  then  told  the  captain  that  I  thought  she  might  do  better 
than  we  expected  if  started.  He  said  I  was  crazy,  but 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  345 

finally  told  me  to  do  as  I  pleased,  adding  that  lie  knew  she 
would  be  distanced  in  the  first  heat.  For  all  that,  I  re- 
solved to  start  her ;  and,  as  the  day  was  cold  and  windy,  I 
jogged  her  round  again. 

The  first  heat  was  won  by  Draco  in  2.3S£ ;  but  I  was 
second,  although  I  had  been  run  into  by  Ephraim  Smooth, 
whose  wheel  took  the  hair  off  one  of  the  mare's  legs.  The 
second  heat  was  won  by  Draco  in  2.41^,  and  I  was  second 
again,  Lady  Spurr  and  Ephraim  Smooth  both  distanced. 
The  latter  ran  into  the  mare,  upset  her  sulky  and  herself, 
and  she  fell  with  her  neck  over  Dan  Mace's  body.  Ephraim 
also  spilt  his  own  driver,  and  ran  off  with  the  sulky  upside 
down.  When  Mace's  sulky  was  upset,  I  was  close  behind 
him,  and  lost  nearly  a  hundred  yards.  I  had  to  call  upon 
the  Widow  to  get  inside  the  distance ;  and  the  way  she 
answered  let  me  know  that  her  dead-game  quality  had  tri- 
umphed over  her  infirmity,  and  that  she  was  all  the  time 
"  a-coming."  I  sent  her  along,  and  got  second  place. 

Between  the  heats  she  was  blanketted  close  and  kept 
moving,  except  while  her  legs  were  being  rubbed  with 
lotion.  In  the  third  heat,  we  got  off  well ;  and  Draco  and 
the  Widow  went  neck-and-neck  to  the  quarter.  The  mare 
then  began  to  show  in  front :  but  Holcomb  let  the  stallion 
break  and  ease  himself  by  a  few  jumps ;  and  this  expedient, 
being  several  times  repeated,  Draco  was  ahead  in  turning 
into  the  stretch.  But  the  steady  stroke  of  the  mare  over- 
hauled him  at  the  distance ;  and,  in  spite  of  another  break 
and  run,  she  beat  him  out  by  a  neck  in  2m.  39 £s.  The 
stallion  was  second,  and  Somerville  third. 

In  the  fourth  heat,  I  had  the  pole,  which  was  a  great 
advantage,  as  it  was  a  half-mile  track.  The  mare  took  the 
lead,  and  kept  it,  although  Draco  made  a  good  game  strug- 
gle. The  time  was  2m.  34 is. 

In  the  fifth  heat,  Draco  made  a  desperate  race  of  it  for 
half  a  mile,  hanging  at  the  mare's  wheel  all  the  waj .  It 
was  at  the  rate  of  about  2m.  30s. ;  but  after  that  he  fell  off, 


346  THE   TROTTING-UORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

and  I  took  the  Widow  in  hand.  She  could  have  trotted  out 
in  2m.  30s.  if  there  had  been  any  thing  to  force  her.  As 
it  was,  the  time  was  2m.  39s. 

In  these  five  heats,  the  Widow  Machree  never  broke. 
Considering  her  arduous  race  of  the  day  before,  and  the 
state  of  her  legs  when  we  brought  her  to  the  course,  it  was 
one  of  the  most  splendid  exhibitions  of  unflinching  game 
and  strong  bottom  that  was  ever  seen.  The  Widow's  pluck 
was  always  so  good,  that  she  was  counted  a  real  "  do  or  die  " 
mare.  That  race  at  Boston  was  the  last  she  trotted  with 
me. 


XLIII. 

The  King  of  the  Trotters,  Dexter.  —  Description  and  breeding  of  him.  — His 
Purchase  by  Mr.  George  Alley.  —  His  History  prior  to  his  coming  to  me. — 
His  First  and  Second  Trials.  —  Dexter's  First  Race.  —  He  beats  Stonewall 
Jackson,  Lady  Collins,  and  Gen.  Grant.  —  Dexter  and  Doty's  Mare. — 
Dexter,  Shark,  and  Lady  Shannon.  —  Dexter,  Shark,  and  Hambletonian. — 
Dexter  hits  himself,  and  is  drawn. —  Evil  of  much  Scoring. —  Dexter's  Trial 
in  November,  2m.  23£s. 

AT  one  time  it  was  my  intention  to  have  said  nothing 
about  any  horse  that  was  still  upon  the  turf ;  and,  if 
I  had  carried  that  resolution  out,  it  would  have  shut  out  any 
remarks  concerning  the  prime  favorite  of  my  latter  day, 
Dexter :  hut  so  many  gentlemen  have  urged,  and,  indeed, 
demanded,  that  I  should  give  a  sketch  of  ^  so  famous  a  horse, 
that  I  finally  determined  to  comply.  Dexter  is  a  hrown 
gelding,  very  rich  in  color,  with  four  white  legs,  and  a  blaze 
in  the  face.  He  is  fifteen  hands  and  an  inch  high,  and  is 
what  we  call  "  a  big-little  one."  He  is  long  for  his  inches, 
deep  through  the  heart,  and  very  powerful  in  the  stifles, 
loins,  and  quarters.  He  has  a  good  head,  neck,  and  eye, 
capital  oblique  shoulders,  and  good  legs  and  feet.  There  is 
all  over  him  a  very  resolute  and  workmanlike  look,  and  his 
quality  does  not  at  all  belie  it.  This  horse  was  bred  by  Mr. 
Jonathan  Hawkins  of  Montgomery,  Orange  County,  N.Y. 
He  was  got  by  Hambletonian  out  of  a  little  black  mare 
by  American  Star,  and  she  was  out  of  Shark's  dam.  The 
pedigree  of  the  latter  is  not  known ;  but  this  much  is  certain, 
that  she  was  a  good  road-mare,  of  great  bottom,  and  with 
a  very  sound,  tough  constitution.  She  lived  to  be  very  old. 
At  one  time  a  story  was  got  up  to  the  effect  that  Dexter 


348  THE  TROTT1NG-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

was  got  by  Harry  Clay,  but  there  was  no  truth  in  it.  He 
was  foaled  in  1858,  and  was  not  held  in  much  favor  for  some 
time.  His  white  legs  and  the  blaze  set  people  against  him. 
I  have  no  doubt  the  old  saw,  — 

"  One  white  leg,  inspect  him  ; 
Two  white  legs,  reject  him ; 
Three  white  legs,  sell  him  to  jour  foes  ; 
Pour  white  legs,  feed  him  to  the  crows  ! "  — 

was  often  quoted  by  people  who  saw  this  colt  in  the  field  at 
Mr.  Hawkins's.  In  the  June  of  1862,  Mr.  George  Alley  went 
up  to  Orange  County  to  look  at  him.  That  gentleman  has 
long  been  known  as  one  of  the  best  and  most  sagacious 
judges  of  trotting-horses  to  be  found  among  the  merchants 
and  business  men  of  New  York.  He  had  heard  of  this  colt 
from  Mr  James  Jacks,  another  very  good  judge  of  a  trotter 
among  our  business  men.  At  that  time  the  colt  was  not 
broken.  They  had  had  harness  on  him  two  or  three  times 
the  preceding  winter ;  but  he  had  slipped  on  the  ice,  and  hurt 
one  of  his-hind  legs,  so  that  they  did  not  persevere  with 
him.  At  that  time,  too,  he  had  never  had  any  grain  fed  to 
him  :  his  feed  had  been  hay  and  grass  from  the  time  he 
was  weaned. 

Mr.  Alley  found  him  in  one  of  Mr.  Hawkins's  fields ;  and, 
being  full  of  grass,  he  did  not  show  well  when  started  up  and 
made  to  trot ;  but  afterwards  they  drove  him  out  into  the 
road,  and  there  sent  him  backwards  and  forwards,  loose. 
Mr.  Alley,  and  Mr.  Felter  who  was  with  him,  then  perceived 
that  the  action  of  the  four-year-old  was  of  the  squarest  and 
finest  character.  The  former  purchased  him  for  $400,  and 
had  him  sent  down  to  his  place  at  New  E-ochelle.  Here  he 
bitted  and  drove  him,  until  he  left  home  in  the  fall  to  go  to 
Philadelphia  for  a  short  time.  He  then  sent  the  colt  to 
John  Mingo,  the  breaker,  at  Flushing  j  and  with  John  he 
remained  about  two  months. 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  349 

Mr.  Alley  then  had  him  home  again,  and  drove  him  him- 
self until  the  roads  got  bad.  He  still  kept  him  at  New 
Rochelle,  intending  to  drive  him  to  a  sleigh  when  the  snow 
fell ;  but  there  was  no  sleighing  that  winter  until  February, 
and  the  very  first  day  that  Dexter  was  hitched  to  a  sleigh 
an  accident  befel  him.  He  has  never  had  any  vicious  ways ; 
but  he  has  always  been  a  high-strung,  nervous,  determined 
horse.  No  sooner  did  he  come  with  the  sleigh  on  to  a  bare 
piece  of  ground,  than  he  made  a  jump  (he  jumps  like  a 
cat),  and  the  whiffletree  broke,  the  neck-yoke  came  oif  the 
pole,  and  he  got  loose.  Mr.  Alley  then  sent  him  here,  not 
to  me,  but  to  Pelham  John,  who  had  him  in  hand  two 
months. 

That  spring  Mr.  Alley  moved  to  Islip,  and  drove  Dexter 
again.  In  June  he  had  him  to  a  Boston  wagon  with  C 
springs.  It  was  only  meant  to  carry  one,  but  Mr.  Alley 
had  a  friend  in  with  him.  Dexter  made  a  shying  jump 
away  from  some  pea-straw  that  lay  in  a  heap  near  the  road, 
the  wagon  slewed,  the  gentlemen  fell  out,  Dexter  ran  home 
to  his  stable.  That  fall,  in  the  month  of  September,  he 
being  then  five  years  old,  Dexter  was  sent  to  me  to  be 
trained  a  little.  After  a  short  time,  I  sent  him  a  trial  to  a 
wagon  in  2m.  42s.  This  was  the  first  trial  he  ever  had.  In 
a  week  after  that  we  tried  him  a  mile  in  harness,  and  he 
went  in  2m.  3l£s.  Here  was  indication  of  great  speed 
when  it  should  be  developed,  in  course  of  time ;  and,  as  he 
trotted  the  last  halves  of  these  miles  as  fast  as  he  did  the 
first,  I  set  him  down  at  once  as  possessed  of  bottom  worthy 
of  his  breeding.  Mr.  Alley  and  I  immediately  concluded 
that  in  Dexter  we  had  got  hold  of  an  extraordinary  young 
horse. 

Soon  after  that  he  fell  lame  behind,  as  we  supposed  from 
kicking  in  the  stall.  Ordinarily  he  was  no  kicker  nor  no 
biter.  As  his  lameness  did  not  leave  him,  Mr.  Alley  took 
him  to  Islip,  and  drove  him  a  little ;  but  it  was  of  no  service, 
and  he  was  turned  out  for  about  six  weeks.  He  was  taken 


350  THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

up  again  on  the  1st  of  December,  and  Mr.  Alley  drove  him 
that  winter  in  double-harness,  along  with  the  mare  Baby 
Bell.  It  seemed  now  that  his  accidents  were  all  over,  for 
with  the  mare  he  went  steady  and  well  that  winter.  In  the 
spring  he  was  entered  in  a  number  of  the  purses  given  by 
the  proprietors  of  the  Fashion  and  Union  Courses,  and  at 
the  proper  time  was  sent  to  me  to  be  trained.  I  soon  found 
out  what  sort  of  a  horse  he  was.  His  constitution  was  fine ; 
his  temper  was  good ;  he  was  a  good  feeder,  not  a  glutton, 
nor  a  great  eater  of  hay,  but  with  a  healthy  appetite  and 
digestive  powers  that  would  always  consume  about  twelve 
quarts  of  oats  a  day ;  and  that  is  enough  for  any  horse  in 
training.  Hence  I  looked  forward  with  great  confidence  to 
a  successful  career  for  this  young  horse.  • 

Dexter  made  his  first  race  on  the  4th  of  May,  1864,  at 
the  Fashion  Course,  for  a  purse  of  $100.  There  were 
twelve  entries  to  this  race,  and  four  started.  The  starters 
were  Dexter,  Stonewall  Jackson  of  New  York  (a  fast 
bay  gelding  who  had  been  very  successful  that  spring), 
the  chestnut-mare  Lady  Collins,  and  Gen.  Grant  (a  brown 
gelding).  This  horse  had  been  a  pacer.  He  trotted  now, 
and  trotted  exceedingly  fast,  but  he  was  very  unsteady. 
The  public  thought  Stonewall  Jackson  nearly  sure  to  win 
it ;  but  when  we  got  over  to  the  Fashion  Course,  and  put  the 
money  upon  Dexter,  he  became  the  favorite  at  the  rate  of 
six  to  four.  Still,  I  dare  say  that  no  one  but  Mr.  Alley 
and  myself  suspected  and  believed  that  the  curtain  was 
about  to  draw  up  upon  the  greatest  trotter,  taken  for  all-in- 
all,  that  has  ever  appeared. 

The  race  was  the  usual  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  har- 
ness. We  got  off  in  the  first  heat,  and  I  took  the  lead  with 
Dexter.  At  the  half-mile,  in  1m.  13 Js.,  Dexter  had  a  good 
lead,  and  was  going  quite  within  himself.  The  others 
could  not  get  near  him.  He  won  by  half  a  dozen  lengths, 
jogging  out  in  2m.  33s.  Stonewall  Jackson  was  second, 
the  Lady  third,  and  Grant  distanced.  The  other  heats 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  351 

were  similar  to  the  first.  Dexter  was  never  headed  in  the 
race,  and  won  all  the  heats  very  easily.  The  second  and 
third  were  2m.  36s.  and  2m.  34£s.  Two  days  afterwards, 
Dexter  trotted  again.  This  was  at  the  Union  Course,  mile 
heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness.  Lady  Collins  went  against 
him.  He  won  in  three  heats  easily, — 2m.  34|s.,  2m.  36s., 
2m.  37£s. 

Previous  to  the  first  race,  I  had  put  the  muzzle  on  Dex- 
ter, as  we  commonly  do  with  trotting-horses  in  training, 
especially  just  before  the  race ;  but  I  now  discovered  that 
there  was  no  occasion  for  it,  and  after  that  he  was  never 
muzzled,  and  had  all  the  hay  he  wanted.  I  have  said,  in 
prior  chapters  of  this  work,  that  no  rules  can  be  laid  down 
as  absolute  guides  for  training  horses,  because  horses  differ 
so  much  in  constitution.  Dexter  was  a  good,  moderate 
feeder,  but  would  not  stuff  himself  full  of  hay,  or  eat  his 
litter.  Other  horses  I  have  had  that  could  not  be  kept  in 
condition  and  wind  without  being  usually  muzzled  in  their 
training. 

On  the  13th  of  May,  Dexter  trotted  again,  at  the  Union 
Course,  against  Doty's  bay  mare,  to  wagons.  He  won  the 
first  two  heats  in  2m.  36^s.,  2m.  39s.  and  then  she  was 
drawn.  On  the  18th,  at  the  Fashion  Course,  he  trotted 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  with  Lady  Shannon,  a 
gray  mare,  in  the  hands  of  Robert  Walker,  and  the  bay 
gelding  Shark,  who  was  in  Dan  Mace's  care.  This  horse 
belonged  to  Mr.  Jacks  then.  He  was  by  Hambletonian, 
out  of  the  old  mare  that  was  the  dam  of  Dexter's  dam.  So 
Ihey  were  closely  related.  Shark  had  had  a  trial  on  the 
Union  Course  with  a  running-horse,  and  was  said  to  have 
gone  fast.  He  had  some  backers,  but  Dexter  was  the  fa- 
vorite. In  the  first  heat  Dexter  took  the  lead,  and  was  three 
lengths  ahead  at  the  half-mile  pole  in  1m.  15|s. ;  Shark  was 
second.  Dexter  made  a  skip  on  the  home-stretch,  but  won 
it  easily  in  2m.  33s. ;  Shark  second.  In  the  second  heat, 
the  gray  mare  was  nearly  head-and-head  with  Dexter  at 


352  THE  TROTT1NG-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA. 

the  quarter;  but  she  broke  on  the  back-stretch,  ail  he  had 
a  lead  of  three  lengths  at  the  half-mile  in  1m.  15Js.  Shark 
was  second  there.  They  could  not  stand  the  pace;  and 
Dexter  won  it  in  a  mere  jog  in  2m.  32Js.  In  the  third 
heat,  the  little  horse  took  the  lead  again,  and,  at  the  half- 
mile  pole,  led  the  gray  mare  three  lengths  in  1m.  13s.  On 
the  Flushing-end  of  the  course  he  was  full  of  trot,  and  I 
let  him  go  along.  He  increased  his  lead.  On  the  home- 
stretch, I  took  him  in  hand,  and  he  jogged  out  in  2m.  30s. 
This  race  was  for  a  purse  of  $200,  and  a  stake  of  $50  each. 

Dexter  had  now,  in  the  course  of  two  weeks,  trotted  four 
races,  in  which  there  were  eleven  heats.  In  none  of  these 
heats  had  the  little  horse  been  headed.  People  began  to 
say,  "  Hiram  Woodruff  has  got  hold  of  another  Ripton ; " 
but  I  had  a  trotting-mare  in  my  stable  then  who  made  a 
great  stride  forward.  On  the  1st  of  June,  Lady  Emma 
beat  May  Queen  and  Dan  Mace  at  the  Union  Course  in 
such  time  and  such  easy  style,  that  she  was  forthwith 
classed  with  the  best  trotters,  and  there  she  remained  until 
her  death  late  last  fall. 

Misfortune  was  now  close  at  hand  for  Dexter,  but  not  in 
any  grave  shape.  On  the  3d  of  June  he  trotted  mile  heats, 
three  in  five,  to  wagons,  on  the  Fashion  Course,  with  Shark 
and  another  son  of  Hambletonian,  called  after  the  old  horse. 
Horace  Jones  had  him  :  Ad.  Carpenter  drove  Shark.  There 
was  an  immense  deal  of  scoring,  —  more  than  there  ought 
ever  to  be.  Above  ten  times  we  came  up  without  getting 
the  word  :  when  we  did  get  it,  Dexter  broke.  Shark  took 
the  lead,  Hambletonian  second.  At  the  half-mile,  in 
1m.  18£s.,  I  had  passed  Hambletonian,  and  had  got  to  the 
quarters  of  Shark  :  at  the  head  of  the  stretch  I  had  nearly 
collared  him ;  but,  just  in  the  straight,  Dexter  hit  his  knee, 
and  broke  up.  Shark  won  it  in  2m.  36s.,  and  Hambletonian 
was  second.  I  then  drew  my  horse,  as  he  had  given  himself 
a  pretty  hard  wipe.  He  had  been  backed  at  five  to  one  at 
the  start ;  and  it  seemed  a  hard  case  for  the  layers  of  the 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA,  353 

odds.  Some  people  blamed  me.  It  10.1$  a  hard  case  for  the 
backers  of  Dexter,  and  for  his  owner  and  me  too ;  and  they 
should  have  blamed  those  in  authority,  who  stood  up  and 
saw  a  very  valuable  young  horse,  and  a  great  public  favorite, 
compelled  to  score  above  twelve  times.  I  say  this,  if  others 
can  beat  me  in  a  race,  let  them  do  it ;  but  do  not  give  them 
a  chance  to  beat  me  before  the  race  begins,  by  "double- 
banking  "  me  in  scoring.  The  scoring  for  the  first  heat  is 
no  part  of  the  race,  for  a  horse  or  horses  can  pay  forfeit 
after  it ;  yet  we  often  see  a  good  horse  prevented  from  win- 
ning by  two  or  three  scoring  against  him  alternately,  while 
one  stays  behind  each  time  and  hinders  a  start.  This  is  a 
game  for  which  a  remedy  ought  to  be  found.  This  is  the 
way  Dan  Mace  with  Commodore  Vanderbilt,  and  Jim  Eoff 
with  Gen.  Butler,  beat  me  and  Lady  Emma  at  the  Union 
Course. 

Dexter's  knee  swelled  a  good  deal ;  and  I  advised  Mr. 
Alley,  after  we  had  reduced  it,  to  take  him  home  to  Islip, 
and  let  him  run  out  for  a  couple  of  months.  He  did  so. 
He  then  took  him  up,  and  drove  him  until  the  1st  of  Octo- 
ber. Dexter  then  came  back  to  me.  After  two  week's  work, 
in  which  he  went  well,  I  gave  him  a  trial.  He  went  in  2m. 
29s.,  and  I  knew  that  he  was  every  day  a-coming.  I  then 
said  to  Mr.  Alley,  that  the  horse  was  improving  every  day, 
and  that  I  thought  in  about  two  weeks  he  would  be  likely 
to  show  us  something  worth  seeing  "  to  a  man  up  a  tree." 
But  it  was  three  weeks  before  the  trial  came  off,  and  it  was 
a  damp,  cloudy  day  in  November.  There  was  not  much 
wind,  however,  and  the  track  was  hard.  Mr.  Shepherd  F. 
Knapp  and  Mr.  Alley  were  present,  and  they  timed  him.  I 
knew  all  the  way  round  that  Dexter  was  doing  a  great  thing. 
I  had  hardly  ever  then,  if  ever,  except  in  the  cases  of  Flora 
Temple  and  the  gray  mare  Peerless  that  belongs  to  Mr. 
Bonner,  seen  such  a  stroke  kept  up  from  end  to  end.  When 
I  turned  and  came  back,  I  lifted  up  my  hand,  and  said  to  the 
gentlemen,  "  Oh,  what  a  horse ! " 


354  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

"  What  do  you  think  you  made  ?  "  said  they. 

"  Not  worse  than  2m.  24s."  I  answered. 

"  It  was  just  2m.  23|s., "  said  they  j  and  I  was  satisfied. 

This  was  speed  enough  for  a  six-year  old  horse,  in  his  first 
season  of  trotting.  He  remained  with  me  until  the  1st  of 
December,  and  then  he  went  to  Mr.  Alley's,  at  Islip,  to  be 
wintered.  His  blankets  were  gradually  taken  from  him ;  and 
he  passed  the  cold  weather  without  clothing,  in  a  good  box, 
with  a  padiock  to  run  in  during  the  day. 


XLIY. 

Dexter's  Three-Mile  Heats  —  Match  with  Stonewall  Jackson  of  Hartford.  — 
Description  of  Stonewall.  —  Dexter  and  Gen.  Butler.  —  Dexter  and 
Lady  Thorn.  — Description  of  Lady  Thorn.  —  The  Thrae-Mile-Heat 
Race  under  Saddle.  —  Dexter  and  Gen.  Butler  under  Saddle.  —  Dexter, 
Butler,  and  George  Wilkes.  —  Dexter  against  Time,  to  beat  2m.  19s. 

AFTER  the  trial  I  described  in  the  last  chapter,  I  was 
pretty  well  convinced  that  this  young  horse,  Dexter, 
was  as  good  a  one  as  had  ever  come  into  my  hands.  Here 
was  a  young  horse  that  had  never  had  a  quart  of  oats  until 
he  was  more  than  four  years  old.  In  his  first  season,  and 
with  very  little  handling, — for  it  is  to  be  remembered  that 
he  was  turned  out  from  June  to  October,  —  he  had  trotted 
a  trial  in  2m.  23 |s.,  and  had  finished  in  masterly  style. 
My  opinion  of  him  was  so  high,  that  during  the  winter  I 
matched  him  to  go  three-mile  heats  against  a  horse  that 
had  great  fame  just  then,  and  was  thought  by  many  to  be 
invincible  for  a  long  distance.  This  horse  was  Stonewall 
Jackson  of  Hartford,  who  had  beat  Shark  with  great  ease 
after  the  race  in  which  Dexter  hit  himself.  After  I  made 
this  match,  some  of  my  friends  thought  I  had  been  im- 
prudent and  overweeningly  confident.  The  Hartford  par- 
ty, who  had  the  other  horse,  certainly  thought  so  too.  It 
was  to  trot  a  race  of  three-mile  heats,  to  go  as  they  pleased, 
on  the  Fashion  Course,  June  26,  —  rain  or  shine.  The 
stake  was  $2,500  a  side,  half  forfeit. 

When  I  came  to  talk  to  Mr.  Alley  about  it,  I  found  that 
he  was  not  much  in  favor  of  letting  Dexter  trot.  He  said 
that  he  was  but  a  young  horse,  was  not  seasoned,  and  that 
he  bolieved  three-mile  heats  might  be  too  long  for  him 

355 


356  THE  TROTTING-IIORSL   OF  AMERICA. 

against  such  a  horse  as  Stonewall  Jackson  of  Hartford. 
This  latter  was  a  bay  horse,  with  two  white  legs  and  a 
blaze.  He  was  nearly  thoroughbred,  was  very  fast  and 
lasting,  and  a  good  saddle-horse ;  but  he  had  a  temper,  and 
had  bolted  once  or  twice.  The  upshot  of  the  conversation 
with  Mr.  Alley  was,  that  I  went  and  offered  a  large  sum 
to  get  out  of  the  match.  The  other  parties  refused  to  take 
any  thing  less  than  the  whole  of  the  forfeit,  and  that  I  was 
sure  not  to  pay  before  the  day  of  the  race,  if  then. 

Meantime,  Dexter  was  entered  in  two  of  the  Fashion 
purses,  with  Flora  Temple,  Gen.  Cutler,  and  Lady  Em- 
ma. One  of  these  was  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness; 
the  other  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  to  wagons.  The  first 
of  them  was  trotted  on  the  2d  of  June.  The  starters  were 
Dexter  and  Gen.  Butler.  Dexter  won  it  easily  in  three 
heats ;  time,  2m.  26|s.,  2m.  26£s.,  2m.  24  Js.  The  day  before, 
Lady  Thorn  had  defeated  Frank  Vernon  and  Stonewall 
Jackson  of  New  York,  at  the  Union  Course,  and  had  gone 
in  2m.  24^s. ;  and  now  Dexter  and  the  Lady  were  matched. 

This  match  was  for  a  thousand  a  side,  mile  heats,  three  in 
five,  in  harness.  Lady  Thorn  was  a  fine,  high-bred  mare 
from  Kentucky,  got  by  Mambrino  Chief,  and  with  another 
cross  of  the  Messenger  blood  through  American  Eclipse. 
She  belonged  to  Mr.  Eelf  of  Philadelphia.  I  knew  she 
was  fast,  but  I  thought  the  little  horse  could  just  about 
beat  her.  The  race  was  made  to  be  trotted  over  the  Union 
Course  on  Friday,  June  9,  good  day  and  track.  It  caused 
great  interest,  and  my  house  was  crowded  to  its  utmost 
capacity  at  dinner-time.  Before  the  time  came  to  go  to 
the  course,  a  great  storm  came  up  from  the  south-east,  and 
soon  there  was  much  rain.  After  it  ceased,  I  and  one  or 
two  others  walked  over  to  the  course,  and  found  it  too  mud- 
dy and  slippery  to  trot.  The  race  was  postponed  until  the 
following  Monday.  This  was  rather  unfortunate  for  Dexter. 
He  was  very  fine  indeed  that  morning,  but  went  off  a  little 
before  Monday.  The  fact  is,  that  he  is  a  horse  of  remark- 


THE  TROT  TING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  357 

ably  quick  intelligence.  He  knew  that  there  was  a  race 
on  hand  just  as  well  as  I  did,  and  that  knowledge  kept  him 
excited  until  after  it  was  over. 

The  mare  was  the  favorite  at  100  to  70,  and  her  party 
exhibited  great  confidence.  A  vast  deal  of  money  had  been 
laid,  but  these  bets  were  off  by  reason  of  the  postponement. 
On  the  Monday,  she  was  backed  at  the  same  rate.  When  we 
got  the  word,  we  went  away  at  a  great  rate.  At  the  quarter 
pole,  in  35s.,  she  was  a  neck  a-head.  Dexter  broke,  and  lost 
two  lengths.  She  led  that  space  at  the  half-mile,  in  1m. 
9f .  On  the  lower  turn,  the  little  horse  gained  on  her,  but 
broke  befare  he  had  collared  her.  He  broke  again  on  the 
stretch ;  and  I  found  it  was  of  no  use  to  persevere  with  him 
for  that  heat,  so  she  jogged  it  out  in  2m.  24s.  It  was  now 
three  to  one  on  the  mare.  She  won  the  second  heat  by  a 
length  in  2m.  26J.  In  the  third  heat,  the  mare  led  to 
the  middle  of  the  back-stretch,  where  Dexter  pinched  her 
and  she  broke ;  but  she  caught  before  Dexter  had  opened 
daylight,  and  he  broke,  and  fell  two  lengths  behind.  She 
led  that  much  at  the  half-mile  pole.  On  the  lower  turn,  he 
out-trotted  her,  and  she  broke.  He  led  her  on  the  stretch, 
where  she  broke  again,  and  he  jogged  out  in  2m.  27s.; 
but  it  was  not  his  day,  and  she  jogged  out  the  fourth  heat 
in  2m.  26|s. 

Dexter  had  won  one  race  and  had  lost  one  in  his  second 
season,  and  his  engagement  at  three-mile  heats  was  nigh  at 
hand.  Mr.  Alley,  upon  further  consideration,  had  not  only 
told  me  that  the  horse  should  trot,  but  had  taken  half  the 
race.  When  the  day  came,  it  was  very  wet,  and  the  course 
was  more  like  a  canal  than  a  race-course.  We  offered  to 
postpone  it,  but  they  would  not  agree.  Stonewall  Jackson 
was  backed  at  two  to  one.  This  odds  was  tempting  to  those 
who  knew  tin  A  Dexter  was  a  splendid  horse  under  the  sad- 
dle, and  had  been  ridden  a  good  deal  by  John  Murphy.  He 
rode  in  the  race,  and  Mace  rode  Stonewall  Jackson.  In  the 
first  heat,  Dexter  broke  twice  in  the  first  quarter,  >  and  lost  a 


358  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

great  deal.  Stonewall  was  never  Leaded,  and  won  by  al- 
most a  distance  in  8m.  2|.  The  betting  was  now  100  to 
40.  Our  party  took  these  odds  freely.  There  was  at  that 
time  a  prevailing  notion  that  Dexter  was  not  as  good  a 
stayer  as  Stonewall  Jackson.  The  reverse  was  true.  The 
latter  was  greatly  tired  after  the  heat,  while  the  brown 
horse  did  not  "mind  it  at  all. 

In  the  second  heat,  Stonewall  took  the  lead,  but  was  de- 
prived thereof,  and  broke  badly.  On  the '  back-stretch  he 
got  to  the  front  again,  but  was  very  unsteady.  Before  they 
reached  the  head  of  the  home-stretch  Dexter  had  the  lead ; 
and  it  was  now  good-by  to  Mace.  Dexter  went  on  through 
the  mud  with  his  fine,  square  stroke,  splashing  away,  seem- 
ingly as  much  at  his  ease  as  a  duck  in  a  horse-pond. 
Stonewall,  on  the  contrary,  was  all  abroad,  and  never  in  a 
settled  trot.  Dexter  came  in  alone  in  8m.  5s.  It  was  now 
four  to  one  on  Dexter,  who  looked,  after  these  two  heats,  as 
though  he  could  trot  all  day.  The  race  was  practically  won. 
They  started  Stonewall  again  ;  but  Dexter  took  the  lead  at 
the  outset,  was  never  headed,  and  won  just  as  he  pleased  in 
8m.  9£s.  Money  had  been  laid  before  the  race  that  Dutch- 
man's time  would  be  beaten ;  and  it  might  have  been,  had 
the  weather  been  good  and  the  track  fast.  It  is  not 
prudent  to  lay  on  fast  time  in  a  race  made  to  go  "rain 
or  shine." 

Dexter's  fall  racing-season  commenced  with  a  match 
under  the  saddle,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  against  Gen. 
Butler,  for  $2,000.  They  trotted  at  the  Fashion  Course,  on 
the  7th  of  September.  Dexter  won  it  easily  in  three  heats  — 
2m.  26 1  s.,  2m.  24£s.,  2m.  22 is.  He  was  ridden  by  John 
Murphy.  On  the  21st  of  the  same  month,  Dexter  trotted 
with  Gen.  Butler  and  George  Wilkes,  mile  heats,  three  in 
five,  in  harness,  for  a  purse  of  $1,000,  at  the  Fashion 
Course.  He  won  in  three  straight  heats,  the  fastest  of 
which  was  2m.  25s.  Butler  was  second  in  this  race,  the 
stallion  having  been  drawn  after  the  second  heat. 


THE  TROTTING-HOESE  OF  AMERICA.  359 

Dexter's  next  engagement  was  that  famous  one  against 
Time,  in  which  the  latter  was  backed  against  him  at  $5,- 
000  to  $1,000.  Mr.  Alley  undertook  that  he  should  beat 
2m.  19s.,  and  took  the  bet  twice  over.  The  horse  was  to 
be  allowed  three  trials  if  he  required  as  many.  He  was 
also  matched  two  races  with  Gen.  Butler,  to  wagon,  one 
of  them  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  and  the  other  two-mile 
heats.  These  were  to  be  trotted  in  October,  after  the  time-, 
race  should  be  determined.  Dexter  was  never  better  than 
during  his  preparation  for  this  time-race.  He  was  already 
in  condition,  and  it  did  not  take  a  great  deal  of  work  to 
keep  him  there.  I  had  to  see  that  he  did  not  make  new 
flesh,  and  that  was  about  all  that  was  required.  We  did 
not  give  him  a  high  trial,  but  contented  ourselves  with  the 
knowledge  that  he  had  his  speed,  and  was  in  order. 

At  first,  the  betting  was  at  nearly  as  heavy  odds  as  the 
main  stake  ;  but  afterwards  no  more  than  three  to  one  could 
be  obtained.  We  felt  a  good  deal  of  confidence ;  for  I  re- 
lied upon  the  thorough  bottom  he  had  always  shown  in 
finishing,  even  from  his  very  first  trial,  when  he  came  into 
my  hands  the  fall  that  he  was  five  years  old.  My  opinion, 
declared  before  the  race  to  a  confidential  friend,  was,  that  he 
could  perform  the  feat,  even  if  he  made  a  break ;  and  I 
thought  that  if  he  had  every  thing  in  his  favor,  and  rated 
right  through  as  he  might  possibly  do,  he  would  just  about 
trot  the  mile  in  2m.  15s.,  or  2m.  16s.  We  had  once  thought 
of  selecting  the  Centreville  Course  for  this  race  j  but  it  was 
finally  deemed  better  to  take  the  Fashion  Course.  On  the 
evening  before  the  race,  things  looked  favorable,  but  the 
track  was  dry  and  lumpy.  Mr.  Crocheron  went  to  work 
with  his  usual  energy,  and  gave  it  a  good  watering.  After 
this  it  was  brushed. 

There  was  considerable  wind  on  Tuesday  morning ;  but 
we  waited  until  well  on  into  the  afternoon,  when  it  went 
down,  till  it  was  somewhat  calm.  This  was  what  I  had 
hoped  and  expected.  Many  years  of  experience  of  the 


360  THE   TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

weather  of  this  Island,  and  habits  of  observation  in  a  great 
deal  of  out-door  life,  in  races,  working  trotters,  fishing,  and 
otherwise,  had  led  me  to  conclude,  that,  as  the  tide  was  that 
afternoon,  the  wind  would  abate  about  three  or  four  o'clock. 
Prior  to  that,  we  had  had  the  half-mile  pole  removed.  It 
cast  a  shadow  across  the  course,  and  Dexter  had  sometimes 
jumped  over  it.  He  was  in  his  box  in  charge  of  Peter 
Conover,  whom  he  always  liked  well,  and  who  liked  him 
well,  until  about  half-past  three. 

We  then  took  him  on  to  the  course,  and  I  gave  Murphy 
his  final  instructions.  They  were,  that  he  should  hold  him 
within  himself  the  first  half-mile,  let  him  come  round  the 
Flushing  end,  and,  when  he  got  into  the  straight  side  com- 
ing home,  call  upon  him  for  his  best  rate.  Pace  is  a  diffi- 
cult thing  to  estimate ;  but  Murphy,  for  so  young  a  man,  is 
a  very  good  judge  of  the  rate  he  is  going  at.  Still,  it  was 
not  effected  just  as  we  had  intended  it  should  be,  and  we 
could  hardly  expect  that  it  would  be.  The  wisest  and  best- 
laid  plans  are  often  difficult  to  carry  out.  Johnny  Murphy 
mounted,  and  jogged  around  to  warm  the  horse  up.  The 
judges  in  the  stand  were  Mr.  James  Jacks,  Mr.  F.  Howard, 
and  Mr.  S.  Truesdell.  These  gentlemen  are  well  known  as 
competent  timers  and  impartial  men.  Nobody  in  this  coun- 
try ever  questioned  the  decision  they  rendered  as  to  the 
time  Dexter  took  to  trot  the  mile ;  but  the  French  and  Eng- 
lish do  not  to  this  day  fully  believe  that  the  horse  did  it.  It 
is  so  opposed  to  all  their  notions  of  trotting-speed,  that  they 
cannot  put  full  faith  in  it.  * 

After  having  jogged  Dexter  round,  Murphy  set  him  a-go- 
ing, and  sent  him  along  by  the  stand,  but  not  for  the  word. 
On  the  turn  he  made  such  a  break  as  would  have  defeated 
him  in  that  trial,  if  he  had  received  the  word ;  but  I  did 
not  care  about  that  at  all.  I  could  see  that  his  speed  was 


*  They  have  had  another  year,  and  a  surpassing  of  that  performance, 
since  Hiram  dictated  the  above ;  but  they  remain  incredulous. 


THE   TROTTING-HOfiSE  OF  AMERICA.  361 

enormous.     He   was   chock-full  of  fire  and  devil,  and,  if 
any  thing,  a  little  too  eager. 

When  he  got  the  word,  Murphy  steadied  him  nicely,  and 
he  went  to  the  quarter  in  34s.  This  would  win,  and  he  was 
well  within  himself.  The  next  quarter  was  a  little  faster 
than  I  wanted,  as  they  made  the  time  at  the  half-mile  1m. 
6|s.,  giving  32|-s.  for  the  second  quarter ;  but  it  may  have 
varied  a  small  trifle  from  this,  as  the  half-mile  pole  was 
down.  Everybody  was  saying  he  will  do  it  easy,  when  he 
broke  half-way  along  the  Flushing  end.  He  caught  well. 
I  have  heard  people  maintain  that  he  did  not  lose  by  that 
break,  as  if  a  horse  can  break  when  trotting  better  than  a 
twenty  gait  and  catch  again  without  losing.  It  is  true 
that  he  may  run  fast  enough  and  far  enough  to  make  up 
for  it ;  but  Dexter  did  not  do  so.  When  he  broke,  the  peo- 
ple cried,  "  He  can't  do  it  this  time."  But  he  settled  well ; 
and,  when  he  came  on  to  the  home-stretch,  he  had  a  fine  burst 
in.  I  was  up  towards  there,  and  sung  out  to  Johnny,  as  he 
came  by  me,  "  Cut  him  loose :  you'll  do  it  yet ! "  Then 
Johnny  clucked  to  him,  and  he  went  away  like  an  arrow 
from  the  bow,  true  and  straight,  and  with  immense  resolu- 
tion and  power  of  stroke.  I  knew  he  must  do  it  if  he  did 
not  break  before  he  got  to  the  score,  and  up  I  tossed  my  hat 
into  the  air.  I  never  felt  happier  in  all  my  life.  The  time 
given  by  the  judges  was  2m.  18 £s. :  the  outsiders  made  it 
somewhat  less.  Murphy  rode  this  race  with  nerve,  judg- 
ment, and  skill.  He  went  faster  in  the  second  quarter  than 
he  thought  he  was  going ;  but,  after  the  break,  he  rode  it  to 
perfection.  Most  lads  would  have  gone  all  to  pieces,  and 
taken  the  horse  along  with  them,  after  that  crisis  ;  but  John- 
ny was  cool  and  judgmatical.  He  collected  and  steadied 
his  horse,  and  brought  him  on  to  the  stretch  exactly  as  I 
told  him  to  bring  him,  —  in  wind  and  heart  for  a  grand  ral- 
ly. To  stand  behind  and  see  him  go,  after  Murphy  clucked 
to  him  and  moved  his  bit,  was  the  finest  thing  I  eyer  saw 
in  all  my  life. 


XLV. 

Dexter  and  Butler  to  Wagons,  Mile  Heats.  —  Two  Mile-Heats  to  Wagons.  — 
The  Best  ever  made.  —  Eemarks  upon  the  Race.  —  Dexter  at  Astoria.  — 
Eoff  and  George  M.  Patchen,  Jun.  —  Dexter  offered  for  Sale.  —  Dexter 
and  George  M.  Patchen.  Jun.  —  Eoff's  Strategy. 

IN  a  week  after  the  time-race,  Dexter  trotted  his  first 
wagon-match  with  Gen.  Butler.  It  was  mile  heats, 
three  in  five,  for  $1,000  a  side.  Gen.  Butler  had  always 
been  a  remarkably  good  wagon-horse :  his  wagon-time  was, 
in  fact,  as  good  as  any  he  had  made  in  harness ;  and  one 
of  the  best  races  ever  witnessed  was  that  in  which  he  beat 
the  gray  horse  Rockingham  in  five  heats  on  the  Fashion 
Course.  The  third  heat  in  that  race,  which  was  the  first 
heat  that  Butler  won.  was  very  fast ;  but  the  fourth  was 
still  faster,  —  2m.  27s.  if  my  memory  serves  me.  This 
race  with  Gen.  Butler  was  the  first  appearance  of  Dexter 
to  wagon  since  the  race  in  which  he  hit  himself  the  previous 
year.  The  public  did  not  know  that  he  was  a  good  wagon- 
horse  ;  but  my  idea  was,  that  his  excellence  was  as  great  to 
wagon  as  in  harness  and  under  the  saddle.  Dexter  was  a 
little  thin  and  tucked  up  when  we  took  him  over  to  the 
Fashion  to  trot  this  race.  He  had  done  a  great  deal  of 
work,  during  the  season,  and  some  thought  him  stale  ;  but 
he  was  not  stale.  He  was,  though,  thoroughly  seasoned 
and  hardened ;  and  every  bit  of  flesh  and  muscle  about  his 
frame  was  nearly  as  solid  as  so  much  brass.  In  the  first 
heat,  Butler  had  the  pole ;  and,  as  I  did  not  want  to  spend 
about  half  an  hour  in  scoring  with  him,  I  took  the  word  a 
length  and  a  half  behind.  J  gained  on  him  a  little  in  the 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  3G3 

first  quarter,  which  was  37s.  j  then  Dexter  got  into  his  stroke 
and  trotted  very  fast.  They  were  head-and-head  at  the 
half-mile,  and  that  quarter  was  34^3.  We  went  on  neck- 
and-neck  until  Butler  broke,  and  I  took  the  lead.  The 
black  horse  made  another  break  before  we  entered  the 
stretch.  Half-way  up  I  took  Dexter  in  hand,  and  this 
enabled  Butler  to  get  within  a  length  and  a  half  of  him  at 
the  score.  The  time  was  2m.  27-|s. 

They  now  offered  ten  to  one  on  Dexter,  but  nobody  took 
it.  Butler  had  two  lengths  the  start  of  us,  and  Dexter 
broke  on  the  turn,  and  lost  three  lengths  more.  The  black 
horse  was  thus  five  lengths  ahead  at  the  quarter  in  37s. 
Dexter  was  now  settled,  and  began  to  overhaul  the  "  Con- 
traband," just  as  a  custom-house  official  overhauls  a  smug- 
gler—  provided  he  isn't  bribed.  At  the  half-mile,  Butler's 
lead  was  reduced  to  a  length,  and  on  the  Flushing  turn  I 
passed  him :  at  the  head  of  the  stretch  I  had  a  slight  lead, 
but  in  the  straight  side  he  came  with  a  fine  rush,  and  got 
even  with  me ;  but  he  did  not  pass  Dexter,  and,  being  press- 
ed to  his  utmost,  he  broke  three  or  four  lengths  from  the 
score,  and  ran  over  it.  In  the  third  heat,  I  took  the  word  a 
couple  of  lengths  behind  and ;  at  the  quarter,  in  38s.,  But- 
lers lead  was  only  a  length.  Dexter  continued  to  gain,  and 
trotted  this  quarter  so  fast  that  at  the  half-mile  he  was  head- 
and-head  with  Butler,  in  1m.  14s.  We  went  as  near  neck- 
and-neck  as  might  be  till  nearly  the  head  of  the  stretch, 
where  Dexter  broke.  In  turning  into  the  straight  side 
Butler  had  a  strong  lead;  but  I  collected  the  brown  horse, 
and  ho  gained  so  that  at  the  distance  Butler's  lead  was 
reduced  to  a  length.  It  was  necessary  to  get  this  length 
and  a  little  more  to  win  ;  and  this  was  not  very  easy  to  do, 
for  Butler  was  trotting  very  fast.  There  was  not  a  better 
finisher  on  the  trotting-turf  than  Butler,  except  Dexter 
himself ;  and  the  struggle  was  close  and  fast :  but  Dexter 
beat  him  by  a  neck  and  shoulders  in  2m.  29s. 

Darius  Tallinan  drove  Butler  in  this  race,  and  drove  him 


364  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

well.  He  is  one  of  the  hardest  horses  to  drive  that  there  is 
about  here,  for  he  will  not  hear  enough  of  a  pull  to  help  him 
when  he  needs  help.  I  believe  I  drove  him  in  the  first  race 
he  ever  made,  which  was  against  Lady  Suffolk,  —  not  the 
old  mare,  but  a  gray  mare  belonging  to  Mr.  Genet. 

On  the  27th  of  October,  Dexter  and  Butler  trotted  their 
second  match  to  wagons,  on  the  Fashion  Course.  It  was 
two-mile  heats,  and  certainly  was  the  best  two-mile  wagon- 
race  that  ever  was  made.  Dexter  had  done  well  since  the 
mile-heat  race.  He  looked  somewhat  gaunt,  but  his  coat 
lay  right,  his  eye  was  bright,  and  he  was  full  of  spirit ;  but, 
as  I  knew  that  Gen.  Butler  was  a  very  formidable  two- 
mile  wagon-horse,  I  thought  the  odds  laid  on  Dexter  (100 
to  40)  were  too  great.  The  black  horse  had  trotted  the 
fastest  two-mile  heat  to  a  wagon  that  was  ever  known.  I 
had  seen  him  do  it,  and  knew  that  it  was  well  done.  It  was 
when  he  trotted  the  matches  with  George  M.  Patch  en,  and 
Dan  Mace  drove  him  in  it.  I  recollect  somebody  saying  to 
Mace,  as  he  came  along  with  his  lead  after  weighing,  "  You 
have  got  cotton  in  Butler's  ears  to-day."  Upon  which  I 
remarked,  "  I  shall  put  cotton  in  mine  when  anybody  comes 
along  hereafter  to  talk  down  this  horse." 

I  considered  that  the  odds  of  100  to  40  on  Dexter  against 
such  a  horse  .was  too  great;  but  I  had  great  confidence, 
nevertheless,  that  Dexter  would  beat  him.  My  opinion  had 
always  been,  that  Dexter  was  quite  as  remarkable  for  staying- 
power  as  he  was  for  speed ;  and  here  was  a  race  in  which 
staying-power  was  sure  to  be  in  demand.  It  was  at  the 
close  of  a  long  and  arduous  season,  in  which  Dexter  had 
trotted  many  races,  and  had  won  them  all  but  one.  It  was 
late  in  the  year,  and  the  day  was  not  calculated  for  a  very 
fast  race.  The  clouds  hung  low  and  dark,  and  the  wind 
came  from  the  eastward,  keen  and  salty.  There  were  many 
time-bets,  and  the  marks  ranged  from  5m.  3s.  to  5m.  5s. 
I  suppose  there  was  not  a  man  on  the  course  who  thought 
five  minutes  would  be  beaten.  The  company  was  large.  It 


THE  JOTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  365 

would  have  been  much  smaller  if  Mr.  Alley's  friends  and 
acquaintances  had  not  come  out  to  see  his  wonderful  little 
horse  trot  once  more  that  fall,  in  which  he  had  made  himself 
so  famous.  There  were  also  a  number  of  Western  gentle- 
men and  some  of  the  most  eminent  merchants  of  New 
York  on  the  ground.  Tallrnan  drove  Butler  again,  and  I 
drove  Dexter. 

After  scoring  a  couple  of  times,  in  which  Butler  broke 
and  ran,  we  got  the  word,  he  having  a  small  lead.  He  soon 
broke ;  and,  when  he  caught  his  trot  again,  he  was  two  lengths 
and  a  half  ahead.  I  saw  thus  early  that  Tallman  did  not 
mean  to  lose  that  day  for  want  of  a  little  running.  He  led, 
with  a  break  or  two  here  and  there,  after  which  he  would  catch 
and  trot  very  fast,  half-way  round  the  Flushing  end.  There 
I  passed  him,  and  came  on  to  the  straight  side  with  a  little 
lead.  At  the  stand,  in  2m.  30^s.,  I  took  the  pole,  and  went 
on  with  the  lead ;  Dexter  drew  away  from  Butler,  and  led 
two  lengths  and  a  half  at  the  half-mile  pole.  He  was  going 
as  steady  as  a  clock ;  and,  as  it  was  not  worth  while  to  pull 
him  back  to  Butler,  I  let  him  keep  up  his  stroke  until  we 
got  on  the  straight  side.  There  was  a  great  gap  between 
us,  and  I  jogged  the  little  horse  out  in  5m.  f  s.  The  time,  and 
the  ease  with  which  it  was  done,  amazed  everybody  but  me. 
My  uncle,  George  Woodruff,  was  there ;  and  says  he  to  me, 
"  Why,  Hi.,  this  is  a  wonderful  horse  for  bottom !  He 
seemed  as  if  he  would  have  kept  up  that  rate  for  another 
mile!" 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  it's  my  firm  belief  that  he  could,  and 
more  too,  though  that  would  beat  Dutchman's  time." 

It  was  ten  to  one  on  Dexter  now.  At  the  start  I  was 
three  or  four  lengths  behind,  and  did  not  rightly  know 
that  it  was  a  start,  until  I  had  called  out  to  Mr.  Crocheron, 
who  stood  at  the  turn  inside  the  rails,  "  Is  it  a  word  ? " 
says  I. 

"  Yes,  it  is ;  go  along,  old  man !  "  says  Joe.  Well,  I  did 
go  along ;  and  at  the  half-mile  pole  Dexter  had  nearly  got  to 


366  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

Butler's  wheel.  Turning  into  the  Flushing  end,  Butler 
broke,  and  Dexter  went  on  in  front.  I  had  not  intended  to 
take  the  lead  in  this  first  mile ;  but  the  little  horse  was  BO 
full  of  go,  and  pulled  with  such  resolution,  that  I  thought 
it  safest  to  let  him  go  ahead.  He  went  the  mile  in  2m. 
28s.  Butler,  with  some  running,  was  within  three  lengths 
of  him  at  the  score.  The  little  horse  went  on  with  a  stroke 
that  was  marvellous  for  power  and  precision.  It  was  as 
strong  and  as  regular  as  when  he  started ;  and  it  was  a  per- 
fect joy  to  sit  behind  him  in  that  fourth  mile,  and  find  that 
he  was  going  faster  and  better  than  in  any  former  portion 
of  the  race.  At  the  half-mile,  I  had  lost  sight  of  Butler ; 
and,  from  that  out,  the  little  horse  and  I  had  it  all  to  our- 
selves. A  hundred  yards  from  home  I  got  him  down  to  a 
slow  jog,  and  thus  we  jogged  out  in  4m.  56£s.  There  was  a 
good  deal  of  excitement  when  the  time  was  given  out.  Mr. 
Dexter  Bradford,  after  whom  the  horse  was  named,  came  to 
me  with  Mr.  Alley  and  Mr.  Foster.  The  latter  said,  "  This 
horse,  in  my  judgment,  considering  where  he  was  when  he 
got  the  word,  and  how  he  jogged  out,  could  in  this  heat  to  a 
wagon  have  equalled  Flora  Temple's  4m.  50|s.  in  harness." 
"  You  little  rascal/'  said  I,  for  I  was  well  pleased,  "  I  told 
you,  before  people  thought  much  of  him,  that  this  was 
the  King  of  the  World.  I  don't  know  that  he  could  have 
come  out  in  4m.  50|s.,  but  I  could  have  driven  him  three  or 
four  seconds  faster  than  I  did."  I  have  considered  all  the 
circumstances  over  since,  and  I  am  quite  sure  that  I  could 
have  brought  him  home  in  4rn.  52s.  or  4m.  53s. 

Now,  I  wish  to  point  out  that  in  this  race  Dexter  showed 
the  perfection  of  trotting.  He  was  never  in  the  least  flur- 
ried or  disturbed ;  he  never  made  a  break ;  and  his  speed 
was  very  equally  distributed  over  the  ground.  In  the  first 
heat,  his  second  mile  was  just  a  quarter  of  a  second  faster 
than  his  first.  In  the  second  heat,  his  second  mile  was  a 
quarter  of  a  second  slower  than  his  first ;  but  it  would  have 
been  faster  if  I  had  wanted  it  to  be.  He  did  the  last  huii- 


THE  TEOTTING-UORSE  OF  AMERICA.  367 

dred  yards  in  a  mere  dog-trot.  The  day  was  not  favora- 
ble ;  and  the  second  was  his  great  heat.  This  shows  the 
bottom  of  the  horse.  If  the  first  heat  had  been  a  slow  one, 
we  might  Lave  looked  for  a  better ;  but  it  was  fast,  much 
faster  than  any  body  expected.  And  then  to  go  and  beat 
that  by  four  seconds  and  a  half,  with  such  a  start  as  he  took 
and  such  an  outcome,  was  truly  wonderful. 

While  Dexter  had  been  achieving  the  great  feats  which  I 
have  related,  Mr.  Alley  was  living  at  Astoria,  and  the  horse 
was  taken  there  to  be  wintered.  A  little  paddock  and  box 
were  constructed  for  him  on  the  sheltered  slope  of  a  hill 
looking  towards  the  south-east,  and  thus  protected  from  the 
north-west  winds.  Peter  Conover  went  with  him  to  look 
after  him ;  and  there  he  ran  out  of  doors  all  winter,  without 
clothing.  He  had  a  good  many  visitors  there ;  and  gentle- 
men from  the  West  often  went  up  to  Astoria  with  Capt. 
Longstreet,  on  the  Sylvan  Stream,  for  the  express  purpose  of 
seeing  him.  Towards  the  close  of  that  winter,  the  horse 
being  then  eight  years  old,  Mr.  Foster,  who  was  always  one 
of  his  greatest  admirers,  came  to  me,  and  told  me  that  he 
thought  he  had  grown  since  the  fall.  He  seemed  to  think 
it  almost  impossible  that  it  should  be  so ;  but  I  told  him  I 
had  no  doubt  his  idea  was  correct. 

It  is  never  to  be  forgotten,  in  connection  with  this  horse, 
that  he  was  not  subject  to  the  early-forcing  process.  He 
had  no  oats  to  eat  until  he  was  four  years  and  a  month  old ; 
and  he  did  not  trot  until  he  was  six.  Now,  I  have  heard 
some  express  the  opinion  that  he  would  have  been  a  better 
horse  if  he  had  had  grain  early.  For  my  part,  I  can  hardly 
conceive  of  a  better  trotting-horse  than  Dexter ;  for  he  has 
all  the  qualities  and  gifts  that  a  good  trotter  can  have.  He 
is  amazingly  fast,  and  he  is  as  stout  as  he  is  fast;  he  is 
good  under  the  saddle,  good  in  harness,  and  good  to  wagon; 
he  is  good  on  a  hard  track,  and  good  in  the  mud ;  finally,  he 
is  a  grand  campaigner.  His  last  race  in  this  hard  season 
just  gone  by  was,  as  we  have  seen,  his  best.  Such  another 


368  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

two-mile-heat  race  to  wagons  was  never  seen  before,  and  has 
never  been  seen  since.  But,  if  a  horse  is  wanted  to  stand 
training  and  trotting  at  three  or  four  years  old,  I  admit  that 
he  must  be  fed  and  forced  young. 

Before  the  next  spring  came,  Eoif  had  arrived  from  Cali- 
fornia with  the  brown  stallion  George  M.  Patchen,  jun.,  and 
had  begun  to  throw  out  hints  that  he  was  Dexter's  master. 
At  that  time  it  was  thought  Mr.  Teakle  owned  the  California 
stallion  ;  but  this  was  not  the  case.  He  was,  however,  part 
owner  of  Dexter ;  and  Eoif  had  driven  Princess  for  him 
when  he  owned  her.  At  my  birth-day  dinner  on  the  22d 
of  February,  there  was  a  considerable  celebration.  My 
friends  mustered  very  strong.  The  Long-Island  breeders 
of  game-fowl  fought  a  main  of  cocks  as  a  part  of  the  sports 
of  the  day,  and  after  dinner  we  all  got  warm  and  merry. 
Finally,  Eoff  began  to  say  what  he  would  do  with  Patchen. 
He  would  trot  him  three  miles,  and  this  and  that,  against 
Dexter.  At  last  I  got  rather  excited,  and,  encouraged  by 
Oliver  Marshall  and  Foster,  offered  to  back  Dexter  against 
his  horse,  three-mile  heats,  Dexter  to  pull  a  wagon,  and  he 
to  go  in  harness,  for  five  thousand  dollars  a  side. 

At  first  Eoff  pretended  that  he  would  make  it ;  but  when 
I  stated  the  proviso,  that  the  owners  of  Dexter  must  let  me 
have  him  or  it  was  no  match,  he  objected  to  the  proviso. 
Up  to  that  time,  some  had  thought  that  Eoff  would  hare 
Dexter ;  but,  when  he  objected  to  the  proviso,  I  immediately 
discovered  that  Mr.  Alley  still  had  sole  control  of  the  horse, 
and  that  Eoff  was  afraid  he  would  let  me  have  him  for  that 
match.  In  due  season,  Peter  Conover  brought  him  back  to 
me,  and  he  was  put  in  work.  Mr.  Alley  soon  after  decided 
to  sell  him;  and  in  "  Wilkes'  Spirit  of  the  Times,"  of  April 
14,  1866,  he  was  advertised  to  be  sold  on  the  Union  Course, 
by  auction,  on  the  9th  of  May.  When  he  was  put  up,  the 
first  bidder  was  John  Morrissey,  who  offered  $11,000: 
that  was  before  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  you  know! 
Then  William  Saunders,  a  very  good,  sagacious  horseman, 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  369 

offered  $13,000.  Mr.  Pettee  advanced  $500  on  that,  and 
then  I  jogged  Dexter  around  again ;  then  Saunders  offered 
$13,750 :  but  Mr.  Alley  did  not  want  to  sell  him  for  that ; 
so  Mr.  Pettee  went  on  and  bid  $14,000,  at  which  price  he 
was  bought  in  for  his  owner. 

Soon  after  that,  Mr.  Isaac  Anderson  of  Chicago  offered 
to  give  $15,000  for  the  horse,  provided  I  would  go  to 
Chicago  to  drive  him ;  but  it  did  not  suit  me  to  go  so  far 
away.  At  the  same  time,  Saunders  wanted  him  very  much ; 
and  I  challenged  with  him  for  three  races,  three-mile  heats, 
under  saddle,  in  harness,  and  to  wagon.  Meantime,  Dexter 
got  a  little  sore ;  and  when  Saunders  came  over  to  my  stable 
intending  to  buy  him,  to  keep  the  Chicago  man  from  getting 
him,  he  was  so  lame  that  William  lost  his  resolution. 

EofFs  California  stallion  made  a  brilliant  opening,  and 
defeated  Vanderbilt  in  such  style  that  many  people  protested 
that  Dexter's  time  was  come,  and  that  the  big  horse  could 
beat  2m.  20s.  Eoff  kept  this  humbug  alive  by  his  artful 
way  of  talk  and  action.  Mr.  Crocheron,  in  the  month  of 
May,  advertised  a  purse  of  $2,000,  mile  heats,  three  in  five, 
in  harness ;  the  winner  to  have  $1,200,  the  second  $500,  and 
the  third  $300,  if  there  was  a  third.  This  purse  closed  at 
the  Fashion  Course  on  the  1st  of  June,  after  the  race 
between  Commodore  Vanderbilt  and  Stonewall  Jackson, 
which  was  won  by  the  Commodore  in  three  heats.  The 
entries  to  the  $2,000  purse  were  Dexter,  Geo.  M.  Patchen, 
jun.,  Commodore  Vanderbilt,  and  Gen.  Butler.  The  race 
was  to  be  trotted  on  the  28th  of  June.  As  soon  as  the 
entries  were  announced  from  the  stand,  Eoff  coolly  chal- 
lenged any  horse  in  the  world  to  trot  mile  heats,  three  in 
five,  and  two-mile  heats  in  harness.  Mr.  Keif  was  not 
there,  and  Dan  Pfifer  said  nothing  for  Lady  Thorn;  so, 
with  my  consent,  Oliver  Marshall  took  it  up  for  Dexter,  as 
to  the  mile-heat  race.  The  days  named  by  Eoff  were  the 
15th  and  22d  of  June.  I  thought  it  best  to  trot  Dexter 
but  one  race  prior  to  the  great  purse.  On  the  15th,  this 

24 


370  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

match  was  trotted  on  the  Fashion  Course.  The  number  of 
people  present  was  immense,  and  it  was  a  great  pity  that 
such  a  concourse  should  have  gathered  together  to  he  sorely 
disappointed. 

Dexter,  I  knew,  was  not  half  himself.  He* was  sore  and 
lame,  and  his  lameness  had  kept  him  in  a  state  of  nervous 
irritability.  This  put  Mr.  Eoff  in  a  very  tight  place.  He 
must  beat  Dexter ;  —  and  he  had  a  strong  suspicion  that  he 
could  not  do  it,  even  lame  as  he  was,  —  or  the  people  might 
discover  that  the  California  stallion  was  not  the  horse  they 
believed  him  to  be.  A  man  of  less  courage  and  artfulness 
than  Eoff  would  have  been  in  a  regular  dilemma ;  but  he 
hit  upon  an  expedient  which  enabled  him  to  keep  up  the 
humbug  of  his  horse's  ability  to  beat  Dexter.  He  managed 
in  such  a  way  that  people  thought  he  threw  the  race.  This 
maintained  the  character  of  the  horse;  and  as  for  Eoff's 
own  character,  it  was  in  keeping  with  that. 

But  the  truth  is,  that  he  made  his  horse  do  all  he  could ; 
and  in  the  third  heat  he  was  clucking  to  him  all  along  the 
back-stretch.  Dexter  won  it  in  three  heats :  time,  2m.  29|s., 
2m.  28|s.,  2m.  27£s.  The  day  before,  George  Wilkes 
had  defeated  Lady  Thorn  to  wagons  at  the  Union  Course  in 
2m.  27s.,  2m.  25s.,  2m.  25|s ;  but,  for  all  that,  Eoff  was 
anxious  to  match  the  California  stallion  against  him.  It 
was  a  part  of  his  system.  If  the  match  was  not  accepted, 
it  added  to  the  notoriety  of  his  horse.  If  it  was,  his  share 
of  the  gate-money  would  greatly  exceed  what  he  lost  ;  and 
he  would  either  make  the  people  believe  that  he  threw  it,  or 
invent  some  plausible  reason  why  he  was  beaten.  Besides, 
as  he  knew  that  he  was  quite  sure  to  be  beaten  by  such 
horses  as  Dexter  and  George  Wilkes,  he  had  almost  a  cer- 
tainty in  bets  that  he  might  procure  to  be  laid  upon  them 
and  against  George  M.  Patchen,  jun.  The  mainstay  of  the 
whole  thing  was  the  keeping  up  of  the  fabulous  reputation 
of  that  horse. 


XLVI. 

Jexter  sold  to  George  Trussel.  —  Dexter,  Gen.  Butler,  and  Commodore 
Vanderbilt.  —  Dexter  goes  to  Budd  Doble.  —  Dexter  and  George  M. 
Patchen  at  Philadelphia.- 


last  race  in  which  I  drove  Dexter  was  for  the  purse 
-i-  of  $2,000,  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness;  the 
second  to  have  $500  out  of  the  purse  if  three  started,  and 
the  third  $300  if  four  started.  It  was  originally  fixed  to 
come  off  on  the  28th  of  June  ;  but  the  wretched  display 
made  by  the  California  stallion  in  his  match  with  Dexter 
(alluded  to  in  the  preceding  chapter)  had  disgusted  so 
many  people,  and  so  disheartened  Mr.  Crocheron,  that  he 
resolved  to  postpone  it  until  the  2d  of  July.  Before  the 
race,  Dexter  had  been  disposed  of  by  Mr.  Alley  to  a  gentle- 
man from  Chicago.  It  was  not,  however,  to  Mr.  Anderson, 
but  to  Mr.  George  Trussell,  with  whom  Mr.  Fawsett  had  an 
interest,  either  at  that  time  or  very  soon  afterwards.  The 
price  they  paid  was  $14,000.  It  was  not  large,  considering 
the  powers  and  achievements  of  the  horse,  taking  into 
account  what  his  winnings  had  amounted  to  the  preceding 
year,  and  keeping  in  view  the  large  prizes  and  brilliant 
prospects  held  out  all  over  the  country  for  the  best  trotter 
on  the  turf.  The  idea  that  he  was  not  the  best  trotter  had 
long  ceased  to  trouble  me  :  but  many  still  held  that  Lady 
Thorn  was  his  equal  in  some  points  ;  and  there  were  people 
who  believed  and  maintained  that  the  California  stallion 
was  sure  to  beat  him  as  soon  as  it  suited  EofFs  book  to  let 
Mm  do  so. 

This  infatuation  remained  for  months,  when  events  had 

371 


372  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

made  it  palpable  to  all  but  tlie  wilfully  blind  that  Dexter 
could  lose  the  stallion  in  any  way  of  going  that  trotting- 
horses  go.  The  stallion  did  not  appear  in  this  race ;  Eoff 
believing,  no  doubt,  that  he  had  a  much  better  chance  to 
win  with  Gen.  Butler.  He  had,  to  give  him  due  credit, 
brought  Butler  into  magnificent  condition ;  and  his  patient, 
skilful  handling  of  the  horse  in  driving  was  very  fine.  All 
that  party  over  at  the  Fashion  were  full  of  confidence  that 
Butler  would  win  it ;  and  they  took  the  odds  of  100  to  40 
on  Dexter  to  a  large  amount,  and  laid  60  to  40  on  Butler 
against  Commodore  Vanderbilt.  There  was  one  consider- 
ation which  no  doubt  largely  influenced  the  Butler  party  in 
taking  the  odds ;  that  was,  that  Dexter  had  not  been  just 
himself  that  year.  Eoff  affected  to  doubt  it,  but  he  knew 
it  well  enough.  The  trouble  was  in  the  horse's  feet,  which 
kept  him  continually  on  the  fret  through  soreness.  That 
had,  no  doubt,  some  effect  on  the  price  at  which  he  was  sold; 
for,  if  he  had  been  clearly  all  right  forward,  there  were  scores 
of  men  who  would  have  given  $15,000  for  him. 

My  own  opinion  was,  that  the  trouble  was  merely  of  a 
temporary  nature ;  but  every  man  of  much  experience  with 
horses  knows  that  a  great  deal  of  vagueness  and  uncertainty, 
not  to  say  contradiction,  has  long  existed,  even  among  the 
most  advanced  veterinarians,  in  regard  to  lameness  in  the 
fore-feet.  There  was  a  chance,  that,  instead  of  getting  better, 
he  would  get  worse,  and  have  disease  of  a  chronic  character. 
The  chance  was  remote ;  but  it  existed,  and  had  prevented 
William  Saunders  and  some  other  good  horsemen  from 
buying  him.  When  we  took  him  on  the  course  on  the  2d 
of  July,  he  looked  exceedingly  well  bodily,  but  he  had  not 
been  going  well.  He  was  limping  a  little,  pulling  a  little 
on  one  rein,  and  was  prevented  from  letting  loose  in  his 
usual  limber  and  determined  manner  by  the  soreness.  If 
he  had  not  got  better  during  the  race,  he  could  not  have  won 
it :  but  he  did  get  better,  as  we  shall  presently  see ;  and  his 
immense  pluck  and  bottom  enabled  him  to  add  another  to 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  373 

those  performances  which  had  already  made  him  one  of  the 
boasts  of  this  country  and  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  outer 
world. 

The  start  was  not  soon  got,  for  Butler  and  Vanderbilt 
broke  often  in  scoring.  I  did  not,  however,  mind  this  to- 
day ;  because  I  knew,  that,  whatever  they  might  think  of 
the  staying-power  of  Gen.  Butler,  I  had  the  real  sticker 
when  the  pace  was  very  strong.  The  question  was,  whether 
Dexter  would  warm  up,  and  regain  the  ability  to  cut  loose. 
In  the  earlier  part  of  this  work,  I  related  how  I  won  a  great 
race  with  B/ipton,  when  he  was  stiff  and  lame ;  and  that  race 
came  into  my  head  as  I  scored  time  after  time  with  Eoff 
and  with  Vanderbilt.  When  the  word  was  given,  Vander- 
bilt broke,  and  Dexter  took  the  lead :  Butler  lay  next  me  at 
the  quarter-pole,  two  lengths  behind.  At  the  middle  of  the 
back-stretch,  Dexter  wanted  to  get  up ;  but  I  succeeded  in 
keeping  him  to  his  trot,  and  at  the  half-mile  he  led  two 
lengths  in  1m.  13£s.  Butler  got  his  nose  to  my  wheel  at 
the  head  of  the  home-stretch,  and  soon  after  broke :  but  he 
caught,  and  trotted  very  fast,  and  Dexter  broke,  and  lost  it 
in  2m.  28s. 

There  was  a  good  deal  more  scoring  before  we  started  for 
the  second  heat ;  and,  while  it  was  going  on,  Eoff  offered  to 
lay  500  to  400  that  Butler  won.  The  start  was  a  good  one, 
and  we  went  together  in  close  order.  At  the  quarter-pole, 
Dexter's  nose  was  at  Butler's  haunches,  and  the  Commodore 
was  at  my  horse's  shoulder :  so  we  went  to  the  half-mile, 
but  not  without  a  skip  or  two.  The  time  here  was  1m. 
13|s.  On  the  Mushing  end,  Butler  drew  away  a  little,  and 
Dexter  broke  on  the  home-stretch.  Vanderbilt  took  the 
inside  position,  and  tried  hard  for  the  heat,  John  Lovett 
laying  on  the  whip ;  but  he  broke,  and  Butler  won  in  2m. 
27s. ;  Dexter  second. 

They  now  laid  ten  to  one  on  Butler.  Some  of  the 
stanch  friends  and  admirers  of  the  little  horse  came  to  me, 
and  bemoaned  that  they  had  lived  to  see  the  day  when  it 


374  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

was  ten  to  one  on  Butler  against  Dexter,  and  they  dared  not 
take  the  odds.  I  did  not  encourage  them  to  bet ;  but  I  said 
to  Mr.  Alley  and  Mr.  Foster,  "  The  race  is  not  lost,  and 
won't  be  till  it's  won :  there's  a  chance  yet,  mind  you,  with 
this  horse."  That  was  because  I  knew  his  invincible  game 
and  thorough  bottom,  if  he  could  once  manage  to  get  his 
speed.  I  kept  him  on  the  move  between  heats ;  for  to  suffer 
him  to  cool  slowly  down  to  torpor  and  stiffness  again  was 
to  lose  it  to  a  certainty. 

We  had  another  good  start.  On  the  turn,  Butler  led  a 
length,  and  the  Commodore  was  neck-and-neck  with  me. 
The  Commodore  was  trotting  fast ;  and  I  took  a  good  pull 
on  Dexter,  to  let  the  former  take  a  tussle  with  Butler.  At 
it  they  went,  these  commanders  of  the  land  and  sea ;  and 
past  the  quarter-pole  the  Commodore  reached  Butler's 
shoulder.  I  was  a  couple  of  lengths  behind.  The  Com- 
modore now  broke,  and  went  all  to  pieces ;  and  Dexter,  well 
settled,  began  to  close  accounts  with  Butler.  We  gained 
inch  by  inch ;  and  at  the  half-mile  pole,  in  1m.  13  |s.,  Eoff 
did  not  have  to  look  much  over  his  shoulder  to  see  the  white 
face  and  wicked  eye  that  was  after  him.  Half-way  round 
the  Flushing  end,  Dexter  was  at  Butler's  girths,  and  at  the 
head  of  the  stretch  had  got  forward  to  his  shoulder.  It 
was  now  or  never.  We  came  along  the  straight  side  head- 
to-head.  Butler  trotted  well,  and  Eoff  drove  him  with  fine 
art;  but  Dexter  lasted  the  longest  in  the  brush  at  their  best. 
Inside  the  distance,  Butler  broke,  and  Dexter  won  in  2m. 
27  ±B. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  excitement  now,  but  little  bet- 
ting. Sim  Hoagland  came  to  me,  and  said,  "  Hiram,  you've 
got  'em."  I  thought  I  had  too ;  but  I  knew  that  Butler 
would  make  a  desperate  fight  to  the  end.  So  it  proved.  In 
the  fourth  heat,  we  went  away  neck-and-neck ;  while  Van- 
derbilt  was  outpaced,  soon  broke,  and  was  out  of  it.  At 
the  quarter  in  37s.,  Dexter  and  Butler  were  side  by  side. 
Dexter  then  got  a  neck  in  front,  and  thus  we  went  to  the 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  375 

half-mile  pole.  I  did  not  wish  to  leave  Eoff.  With  him 
under  my  eye  on  the  outside,  I  had  him  just  where  I  wanted 
him ;  and  I  thought  to  myself,  "  When  you  get  the  pole  away 
from  me,  you'll  have  won  it."  Half-way  round  the  Flush- 
ing end,  we  were  neck-and-neck  again.  Butler  then  broke, 
and  Dexter  took  a  lead  of  a  length.  Up  the  home-stretch, 
Eoff  and  the  black  horse  tried  all  they  knew,  and  made  a 
gallant  fight  for  it;  but  Dexter  was  getting  better  and 
better.  I  could  feel  his  stroke  growing  bolder  and  firmer 
the  farther  he  went.  Half-way  up,  Butler  broke,  and  Dexter 
won  it  in  the  splendid  time  of  2m.  24|s. 

Many  of  those  who  had  laid  wild  odds  on  Butler  after 
the  second  heat  looked  as  if  they  /elt  sick  at  the  stomach 
when  they  heard  the  time  given  out,  and  saw  Dexter  move 
briskly  away,  as  limber  as  an  eel,  and  full  of  the  devil  again. 
As  Vanderbilt  had  been  distanced  in  the  fourth  heat,  the 
only  starters  in  the  fifth  were  Dexter  and  Butler.  It  was 
100  to  60  on  the  brown  horse.  We  went  away  head-and- 
head,  and  fast.  On  the  turn  Butler  broke,  but  caught 
readily  and  trotted  fast.  At  the  quarter  in  37f  s.,  he  was  at 
Dexter's  shoulder.  They  went  away  very  fast  along  the  back- 
stretch  ;  for  they  got  to  the  half-mile  in  1m.  12-|s.,  neck-and- 
neck.  This  made  the  eighteenth  quarter  in  the  race  better 
than  35s. ;  and  the  rate  at  which  they  trotted  the  nineteenth 
and  twentieth  quarters  shows  what  gluttons  they  were,  espe- 
cially Dexter,  who  never  made  a  break  in  his  winning-heats. 
We  went  from  the  half-mile  pole  to  the  head  of  the  stretch 
neck-and-neck,  and  at  a  great  rate ;  but  Butler  could  not  stand 
the  pressure  any  further,  and  he  broke,  and  I  got  the  lead. 
Butler  made  another  effort,  but  broke  again,  and  Dexter 
won  it  easily  in  2rn.  24|s.  This  was  the  fastest  heat  in  the 
race,  and  the  fastest  fifth  heat  that  ever  was  trotted.  When 
we  consider  that  it  followed  the  fastest  fourth  heat  that  had 
been  trotted,  we  shall  be  enabled  to  appreciate  its  value.  I 
think  that  in  this  race  Dexter  displayed  as  much  constancy, 
courage,  and  unflinching  game  as  any  horse  ever  did  in  any 


376  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

race  that  I  remember.  He  struggled  against  difficulties, 
and  contended  with  pain,  until  finally  he  overcame  his  bodily 
ailments  by  means  of  a  dauntless  spirit,  and  defeated  a 
very  formidable  adversary,  upon  whom  100  to  10  had  been 
going  a-begging. 

As  I  have  before  remarked,  this  was  the  last  race  for 
which  I  prepared  him,  or  in  which  I  drove  him.  What  I 
have  hitherto  said  about  him  I  knew  of  my  own  knowledge. 
Concerning  his  career  after  this,  I  shall  have  to  proceed 
upon  the  reports  of  his  public  performances,  and  what  I 
have  gathered  from  those  who  witnessed  them.  When  he 
left  my  stable,  Peter  Conover  went  with  him ;  and  that  was 
no  small  advantage  to  the.horse  and  his  owner.  Mr.  Trussell 
selected  for  his  future  trainer  and  driver  Budd  Doble,  a 
young  man  of  high  character,  good  intelligence,  and  much 
experience  of  horses  for  his  years.  He  had  been  among 
trotters  from  the  time  that  he  was  a  little  boy,  his  father 
being  a  trainer  and  driver;  and  Budd  himself  was  everywhere 
esteemed  as  one  of  the  very  best  riders  in  the  country.  It 
was  very  soon  understood  that  Doble  would  have  to  drive 
and  ride  against  Eoif,  for  a  hippodroming  expedition  between 
Dexter  and  the  California  stallion  had  been  agreed  upon. 

The  first  place  they  visited  was  Philadelphia ;  but,  prior 
to  that,  Dan  Pfifer  published  a  letter  in  "The  Spirit  of  the 
Times,"  offering  to  make  a  match  with  Toronto  Chief  against 
either  Dexter  or  Butler,  to  be  trotted  under  saddle  early  in 
July.  The  response  to  this  was  an  offer  from  the  owners  of 
Dexter  and  Butler  to  make  up  a  stake  of  $1,000  with 
Toronto  Chief,  to  trot  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  and  go  as 
they  pleased,  about  the  18th  of  July.  This  race  was  after- 
wards brought  about. 

The  trot  at  Philadelphia  was  on  the  9th  of  July,  and,  as 
advertised,  for  a  purse  $2,000.  Whether  the  parties  'agreed 
to  divide  equally,  or  what  share  Eoff  and  his  horse  were  to 
have,  I  do  not  know,  and  we  need  not  inquire.  Everybody 
knows  that  the  terms  were  fixed  beforehand  upon  which 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  377 

Eoff  consented  to  trot  with  Dexter ;  for,  though  some  con- 
tinued to  think  that  the  big  brown  horse  could  beat  the 
little  one,  his  trainer  and  driver  was  quite  certain  that  he 
could  not.  The  race  was  on  the  Suffolk-park  Course.  Two 
to  one  was  laid  upon  Dexter,  whose  race  of  the  Monday 
previous  of  five  heats  had  done  him  a  great  deal  of  good. 
I  concluded  that  it  had  done  so  before  he  left  my  place  to 
go  on  to  Philadelphia ;  and  the  event  proved  that  it  was  so. 
In  the  first  heat,  Dexter  took  the  lead,  and  kept  it.  He 
won  in  2m.  26  |s.  In  the  second,  the  little  horse  broke  in 
the  first  quarter,  and  the  big  one  got  a  lead  of  four  or  five 
lengths  ;  but  then  Dexter  out-trotted  him  all  the  way,  and 
won  by  three  lengths  in  2m.  25s.  In  the  third  heat,  Dexter 
took  the  lead,  went  to  the  half-mile  in  1m.  10s.,  four  or  five 
lengths  ahead,  and  continued  to  drop  the  California  horse  as 
he  went  on.  On  the  home-stretch,  Dexter  made  a  break,  but 
won  the  heat  by  six  lengths  in  2m.  23|s.  That  made  the 
fastest  heat  that  had  been  won  in  harness,  except  those  of 
Flora  Temple.  I  had  looked  for  it  that  season,  but  not 
quite  so  soon  after  the  five  heats  on  the  Fashion,  in  which 
the  fifth  was  2m.  24£.  It  had  been  my  conviction  for  a 
long  period,  as  my  trusted  friends  know,  that  Dexter  would 
reform  the  record  from  top  to  bottom,  and  beat  Flora  Temple's 
time  in  harness  and  to  wagon,  just  as  he  had  beat  the  best 
saddle-time.  It  was,  however,  a  question  with  me  how  Eoff 
could  have  been  within  six  lengths  at  the  finish  of  this  heat 
in  2m.  23^-s.,  unless  the  course  was  uncommonly  fast,  or  some- 
thing else.  But  perhaps  the  six  lengths  were  ten  or  twelve. 
Afterwards,  when  these  horses  travelled  the  country  together, 
and  Dexter  made  better  and  better  time,  it  used  to  be  a 
matter  of  remark  among  a  few  of  us,  that  Eoff  was  never 
distanced;  but  at  last  I  heard  an  explanation  hazarded, 
which  I  believe  to  have  been  the  truth.  The  parties  being 
all  in  together,  none  of  them  could  afford  to  have  a  part  of 
the  concern  disgraced ;  and  the  judges  were  probably  given 
to  understand,  that,  in  order  to  see  Dexter  do  his  best,  they 


378  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

must  agree  to  see  nothing  else.  As  for  the  rest  of  the  people, 
their  eyes  were  all  on  Dexter,  and  none  of  them  knew  or 
cared  where  EofPs  horse  was  at  the  finish.  I  cannot  other- 
wise imagine  how  Dexter  could  trot  so  fast  as  he  often  did 
afterwards,  without  distancing  the  California  horse. 


XLVII. 

Dexter,  Gen.  Butler,  and  Toronto  Chief  under  Saddle.  —  Dexter  and  Geo.  M. 
Patchen,  Jun.,  at  Avon  Springs.  —  The  Track  Short.  —  Short  Track  no 
Eecord.  —  Dexter,  Patchen,  Jun.,  and  Rolla  Golddust  at  Buffalo.  —  Dexter 
and  Butler  under  Saddle.  —  Dexter  trots  in  2m.  18s.  —  Dexter,  Patchen, 
Jun.,  and  Butler  at  Cleveland.  —  Dexter  and  Patchen,  Jun.,  at  Detroit.  — 
Dexter  and  Patchen,  Jun.,  at  Chicago.  —  Dexter  and  Butler  under  Saddle. 
—  Dexter  and  Patchen  at  Milwaukee. —  Same  at  Adrian,  Toledo,  Kal- 
amazoo,  and  Wheeling.  —  Dexter  and  Magoozler  the  Pacer  at  Pittsburg. 

THE  sweepstakes  of  $1,000  each,  in  which  Dexter,  Gen. 
Butler,  and  Toronto  Chief  were  engaged,  was  trotted 
on  Fashion  Course,  on  the  19th  of  July.  After  his  race 
at  Philadelphia,  on  the  9th,  Dohle  brought  Dexter  back  to 
the  Island,  and  gave  him  a  little  saddle-work,  to  fit  him  for 
this  race,  which  was  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  under  saddle. 
He  went  so  fast,  and  appeared  to  be  so  well,  that  he  was  the 
favorite  over  both  the  others.  He  was  ridden  by  Doble, 
while  Eoff  rode  Butler,  and  Johnny  Murphy  was  upon 
Toronto  Chief.  In  the  first  heat,  Dexter  broke,  and  was  ten 
lengths  behind  at  the  quarter ;  but  he  made  up  the  gap,  and 
won  in  2m.  24^s.  This  heat  warmed  him  to  his  work.  He 
soon  took  the  lead  in  the  second  heat,  was  never  headed, 
and  won  easily  by  five  or  six  lengths  in  2m.  19s.  Butler 
was  second.  The  third  heat  was  won  very  easily  in  2m. 
22s.,  although  he  broke  near  the.  quarter-pole,  and  lost  a 
deal  of  ground.  At  the  half-mile  pole,  he  was  fifteen  lengths 
behind  Toronto  Chief,  who  was  leading ;  but,  on  the  Mush- 
ing end,  Dexter  cut  loose  in  earnest,  and  trotted  the  third 
quarter  in  33s.,  which  brought  him  up  to  Toronto  Chief  at 
the  head  of  the  stretch.  He  then  came  away,  and  won  with 

379 


380  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

great  ease  by  five  lengths.  Butler  was  second,  and  the 
time  was  2m.  22s. 

Dexter  and  Patchen  now  started  on  a  tour  to  the  West. 
The  people  of  that  section,  especially  those  of  Buffalo, 
Cleveland,  and  Chicago,  had  offered  larger  purses  than  had 
ever  hefore  been  given  to  trotters ;  and  the  fact  that  Dexter 
then  -made  his  first  appearance  in  those  cities  enabled  the 
associations  to  realize  the  money  they  gave.  He  was,  be- 
yond all  question,  the  great  source  of  attraction.  A  fair 
number  of  people  would  have  assembled  to  see  Butler,  Patch- 
en,  jun.,  and  the  other  trotters,  who  moved  upon  what  a 
poetical  friend  of  mine  terms  "  The  path  of  empire ; "  but 
the  vast  crowds  who  appeared  in  such  multitudes  as  even  to 
surpass  our  greatest  day  on  the  Island  came  out  to  see 
Dexter.  It  was  a  hippodrome  arrangement,  so  far  as  he 
was  concerned,  because  none  of  the  others  had  a  ghost  of 
a  chance  to  beat  him  as  long  as  he  remained  well. 

But  the  people  did  not  mind  that.  It  rather  added  to 
their  enthusiasm  when  they  found  that  he  was  not  only  the 
best  of  the  strangers,  but  so  much  the  best  that  there  was 
110  comparison.  I  had  long  held  to  that  opinion,  as  also  did 
Mr.  Alley,  Mr.  Pettee,  and  Mr.  Foster,  and  now  nearly  every- 
body who  stayed  at  home  coincided  in  it.  I  did,  however, 
see  one  gentleman  lay  a  bet  with  Mr.  Crocheron,  that  Geo. 
M.  Patchen,  jun.,  would  beat  Dexter  a  race  before  they  came 
home  again ;  but  some  time  afterward,  I  heard  the  same  gen- 
tleman trying  to  convince  Uncle  Joe,  that  it  was  the  latter 
who  had  backed  the  California  horse.  So,  while  we  were 
fishing  for  horse-mackerel  and  sheeps-head  in  the  waters  of 
our  bays  on  the  south  side,  the  great  trotters,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  George  Wilkes,  Lady  Thorn,  and  Lady  Emma, 
put  out  to  reap  the  rich  harvest  of  the  West.  The  first 
place  they  trotted  at  was  Avon  Springs,  where  a  purse  of 
$1,000  was  given.  The  track  was  a  half-mile  one,  and  un- 
fortunately a  trifle  short.  The  first  heat  was  close  but  slow. 
Dexter  won  in  2m  31^s.  In  the  second  heat,  Dexter  went 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  381 

clean  away  from  the  stallion,  and  trotted  the  first  round  in 
1m.  9s.  He  came  home  in  2m.  21s. ;  but,  as  it  was  after- 
wards found  that  the  course  was  a  little  short,  "  The  Spirit 
of  the  Times "  wisely  decided  that  it  should  not  make  a 
record. 

It  is  of  great  importance  that  short  tracks  should  be  dis- 
couraged. Very  often  they  are  short  by  accident,  as  this 
at  Avon  Springs  was ;  but  I  fear  they  have  been  sometimes 
purposely  constructed  short,  with  a  view  to  deceive  and 
swindle  purchasers  of  horses.  Hence,  Mr.  Bonner  and 
some  other  gentlemen,  when  going  to  see  horses  on  some 
tracks,  have  prudently  carried  surveyors'  chains  in  their 
carpet-bags. 

From  Avon  Springs,  Doble  passed  on  with  Dexter  to  Buf- 
falo, and  there  trotted  him  on  the  third  day  of  the  great 
meeting  for  the  large  purse.  The  race  was  mile  heats,  three 
in  five,  in  harness.  The  whole  value  of  the  purse  was  $5,- 
750.  Of  this  sum  the  winner  was  to  have  $4,000 ;  the 
second,  $1,000;  the  third,  $500;  and  the  fourth,  if  there  was 
a  fourth,  $250.  But  there  were  but  three  starters,  Dexter, 
George  M.  Patchen,  jun.,  and  Holla  Golddust.  The  latter 
was  a  fine,  rangy  gelding,  bred  by  Mr.  Dorsey,  near  Louis- 
ville, got  by  his  stallion  Golddust,  out  of  a  high-bred  mare. 
He  was  the  best  of  a  lot  of  young  trotters  brought  here  by  Mr. 
Dorsey  and  my  brother  William  Woodruff,  who  then  trained 
for  him,  and  I  think  him  a  horse  of  a  good  deal  of  promise. 
But,  in  this  race  at  Buffalo,  he  was  last  in  all  the  heats. 
Dexter  won  with  great  ease  in  2m.  27-^s.,  2m.  29s.,  2m.  25s. 

This  was  no  great  things  to  see  for  $5,500,  and  the 
twenty  thousand  people  who  were  present  went  away  rather 
discontented.  On  the  fifth  day,  Dexter  trotted  again,  and 
this  time  it  was  under  saddle.  It  was  against  Gen.  Butler, 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  for  an  extra  purse  of  $1,500. 
In  the  first  heat,  Dexter  forced  the  pace,  and  won  by  twenty 
lengths  in  2m.  21  £s.  Dan  Mace  was  now  pvfc  on  Butler; 
but  the  horse  was  not  as  he  had  been  when  he  beat  George 


382  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

M.  Patclien  in  2m.  21s.,  and  Dexter  won  again  in  2m.  26s. 
The  people  began  to  be  disappointed ;  and  feeling  how  gen- 
erously the  Association  had  behaved,  and  how  much  the 
assemblage  would  like  to  see  a  fast  heat,  Mr.  Joseph  Hall 
of  New  York  persuaded  Mr.  Trussell  and  Doble  to  let  the 
little  horse  do  something  like  his  best.  Doble  averred  that 
the  track  was  not  altogether  good,  and  that  the  dense  crowd 
on  the  stretch  might  break  him  up  ;  but  he  said,  with  Mr. 
Trussell's  consent,  that,  if  he  was  level  and  well  settled  at 
the  half-mile  pole,  he  would  let  him  come  the  last  half  fast. 
This  just  happened.  He  trotted  the  first  quarter  in  35Js., 
the  second  in  34Js.,  and  came  home  the  last  half-mile  in 
1m.  8s.  From  all  that  I  have  heard,  I  believe  that  the 
course  was  not  near  as  good  as  the  Fashion  Course,  and 
therefore  his  performance  was  one  of  great  value.  But 
it  was  no  more  than  might  have  been  looked  for.  The 
preceding  year,  I  had  rated  him  as  good  for  a  mile,  under 
saddle,  in  2m.  16s. ;  and,  if  the  Buffalo  Course  was  2s.  slow, 
his  performance  was  equal  to  2m.  16s. 

At  Cleveland,  Dexter  trotted  on  the  fourth  day  of  the 
meeting,  Aug.  25,  for  a  purse  of  $2,000,  of  which  the 
second  horse  was  to  have  $300,  and  the  third  $200.  His 
competitors  were  Patchen,  jun.,  and  Gen.  Butler.  The 
latter  was  now  in  charge  of  William  McKeever,  who  was 
afterwards  killed  at  Chicago,  while  driving  him  in  a  heat 
after  dark  against  Cooley.  He  was  a  young  man  that  I 
knew  well,  and  a  very  honest  and  worthy  young  man.  We 
deplored  his  death  very  much  when  the  news  reached  us 
on  the  Island.  This  race  at  Cleveland  was  mile  heats, 
three  in  five,  in  harness.  The  course  was  heavy;  and 
Dexter  won  very  easily  in  three  straight  heats,  in  the 
thirties. 

The  next  place  of  action  was  at  the  city  on  the  strait 
between  Lakes  Erie  and  St.  Clair,  —  Detroit.  Patchen,  jun., 
went  against  Dexter  in  harness,  and,  as  usual,  was  easily 
defeated  in  three  straight  heats.  The  time  was  2m.  24£s., 


THE  TROTTING- HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  383 

2m.  26^8.,  2m.  23£s.  Chicago  was  the  next  place ;  and  there 
Dexter  and  Patchen  trotted  in  harness,  on  the  5th  of  Sep- 
tember, for  a  purse  of  $5,000,  of  which  the  second  horse 
was  to  have  $1,000.  Dexter  won  the  first  heat  in  the 
thirties ;  and,  when  the  time  was  announced,  the  crowd  grew 
turbulent,  and  began  to  hoot  and  yell.  Thereupon  Mr.  Trus- 
sell  and  Doble  made  up  their  minds  that  it  was  better  not 
to  wait  for  Eoff  and  the  stallion.  In  the  next  heat,  Dexter 
went  on,  and  trotted  it  virtually  alone  in  2m.  24s.  This 
restored  good  humor ;  and,  when  he  completed  the  third  heat 
in  2m.  23s.,  the  people  of  that  part  of  Illinois  perceived 
what  sort  of  a  horse  he  was. 

But  his  only  defeat  that  year  was  now  at  hand.  On  the 
8th  of  September,  he  trotted  against  Gen.  Butler  under 
saddle.  The  course  was  very  bad  going,  and  the  cinder 
slack  of  which  the  track  was  composed  flew  up  and  hit  him 
at  every  stride.  He  won  the  first  heat  in  2m.  33£s.  But- 
ler won  the  next  two  in  2m.  27s.  and  2m.  26|s.,  and  then 
Dexter  was  drawn.  The  track  was  no  doubt  bad ;  but  the 
horse  must  have  been  very  much  off,  because  the  going  was 
as  good  for  him  as  it  was  for  Butler,  who  beat  him.  He 
came  again  quickly ;  for  in  a  week,  at  Milwaukee,  he  beat 
Patchen,  jun.,  in  great  style,  in  harness,  in  three  straight 
heats,— time,  2m.  24|s.,  2m.  22 |s.,  2m.  29s.  Patchen 
was  said  to  be  forty  yards  behind  in  the  fast  heat ;  but, 
as  his  time  was  taken  as  2m.  29s.  in  his  fastest  heat, 
I  think  he  must  have  been  eighty  yards  behind,  instead  of 
forty. 

In  another  week,  McKeever  was  killed  at  Chicago,  while 
driving  against  Cooley ;  and  that  was  a  heavy  blow  and 
great  discouragement  to  trotting  in  that  neighborhood.  On 
the  same  day  that  this  tragedy  occurred  at  Chicago,  Dexter 
beat  Patchen,  jun.,  in  three  heats  at.  Adrian,  Mich. ;  time, 
2m.  32s.,  2m.  27js.,  2m.  ol^s.  Toledo  was  the  next  place 
at  which  Dexter  and  Patchen  appeared.  Dexter  won  again 
in  three  heats,  —  2m.  32s.,  2m.  22|s.,  2m.  31s.  The  farce  of 


384  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

pretending  that  there  was  a  race  between  the  stallion  and 
the  little  horse  was  now  too  hroad  even  for  Eoff ;  so,  witli 
the  amazing  coolness  which  is  one  of  his  characteristics, 
he  told  the  people,  before  the  word  was  given,  that  he  was 
not  trotting  against  Dexter.  I  think  this  was  rather 
unnecessary,  considering  that  the  people  of  North-western 
Ohio  are  commonly  accounted  as  smart  as  their  neigh- 
bors. This  affair  at  Toledo  was  on  the  28th  of  September. 
They  went  on  to  Kalamazoo,  and  trotted  for  a  premium 
of  $2,000,  with  an  extra  $500  if  Flora  Temple's  time  on 
that  course  was  beaten.  The  first  heat  was  slow, — 2m.  27s. ; 
but  the  second  and  third  were  fast,  —  2m.  21|s.,  2m.  21|s. 
This  did  not  beat  Flora's  time ;  but,  as  the  course  was  not  as 
good  as  when  she  trotted,  it  was  deemed  to  be  a  performance 
of  sufficient  merit  to  receive  the  extra  $500.  On  the  12th 
of  October,  they  trotted  at  Wheeling,  West  Virginia.  It 
was  the  old  ten-times-told  tale.  Dexter  won  as  he  pleased, 
and  the  fastest  heat  was  2m.  26  Js.  They  now  went  on  to 
Pittsburg,  and  appeared  with  a  pacer  called  Magoozler.  The 
pacer  beat  Dexter  the  first  heat  in  2m.  22|s. ;  but  the  little 
horse  outlasted  him,  and  won  the  second,  third,  and  fourth 
heats  in  2m.  21|s.,  2m.  23|s.,  2m.  32s.  It  was  on  the  21st 
of  October.  After  this  the  horses  were  brought  back  to  the 
eastward  of  the  Mountains. 


XLVIII. 

Dexter,  Polly  Ann  the  Pacer,  and  Patchen,  Jan.,  at  Philadelphia.  —  Dexter, 
Silas  Rich,  and  Patchen,  Jun.,  at  Baltimore.  —  Dexter  under  Saddle 
against  Time.  —  Dexter  and  Silas  Rich  at  Washington.  —  Dexter's  Per- 
formances that  Year  considered.  —  Integrity  and  Capacity  of  Budd  Doble. 
—  No  Reason  to  believe  that  Dexter  then  reached  his  best.  —  His  fine 
Points.  —  Dexter  compared  to  Peerless.  —  The  Auburn  Horse.  —  Grand 
Combination  of  Qualities  in  Dexter. 

ON  the  29th  of  October,  Dexter  trotted  at  Philadelphia, 
on  Point-Breeze  Park,  against  Polly  Ann  a  pacer,  and 
George  M.  Patchen,  jun.  It  was  mile  heats,  three  in  five, 
in  harness.  The  day  was  unfavorable,  as  it  was  blowing  a 
strong  gale  of  wind  at  the  time.  Dexter  won  in  three  heats : 
time  2m.  23^s.,  2m.  27s.,  2m.  28s.  On  the  14th  of  Novem- 
ber, Dexter,  Silas  Eich,  and  George  M.  Patchen  trotted  at 
Baltimore,  on  the  Herring-run  Course,  where  the  Maryland 
Horse-Fair  was  held.  It  was  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in 
harness,  and  Dexter  won  in  three  straight  heats,  —  2m.  31s., 
2m.  21|s.,  2m.  25|s.  Silas  Rich  was  second  in  all  the 
heats.  On  the  17th  of  November,  that  being  the  last  day 
of  the  Maryland  fair,  Dexter  trotted  under  saddle  against 
time.  Gen.  Grant  acted  as  one  of  the  judges.  Doble 
rode  Dexter,  and  young  Dimmock  went  with  him  on  a 
runner  to  force  the  pace.  The  track  and  weather  were  both 
unfavorable ;  for  the  ground  was  heavy,  and  the  wind  blew 
high.  In  the  first  trial,  Dexter  made  a  bad  break  at  the 
quarter,  and  his  mile  was  no  better  than  2in.  27|s.  In  the 
second  trial,  he  trotted  the  first  half-mile  in  1m.  9s.,  but 
broke  badly  in  the  third  quarter,  and  the  tin^e  of  the  mile 
was  2m.  24£s. 

25  88$ 


386  THE  TROTTINQ-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

I  think  it  was  very  bad  policy  for  the  owners  of  Dexter 
to  start  him  in  this  time-race.  The  horse  had  already  made 
such  time  under  the  saddle,  —  in  his  match  the  year  before 
on  the  Fashion,  and  at  Buffalo  this  year,  —  that  to  have  him 
come  back  from  that  great  record  should  have  been  avoided. 
Yet  it  was  perfectly  certain,  one  would  have  thought,  that 
on  such  a  course  and  in  such  weather  he  could  not  get  any- 
where near  his  best  mark  of  2m.  18s.  In  going  against 
another  horse,  it  mattered  very  little  what  the  time  was,  be- 
cause it  would  be  assumed  that  Dexter  could  have  gone  faster 
if  it  had  been  requisite  for  him  to  do  so.  But,  in  going 
against  time,  Dexter  was  really  trotting  against  himself,  as 
his  time  was  much  the  best  time  that  had  ever  been  made 
JSTow,  to  start  Dexter  on  a  bad  track  and  on  a  bad  day 
against  Dexter  on  a  good  track  and  good  day  was  not  wise. 
Yet  this  was  virtually  what  was  done  at  Baltimore. 

The  little  horse  was  now  taken  to  Washington,  where  he 
appeared  upon  the  National  -Course  on  the  20th  of  Novem- 
ber, mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  against  Silas  Bach. 
The  company  was  very  distinguished.  Sir  Frederick  Bruce 
the  English  Minister,  and  the  Marquis  de  Montholon  the 
French  Minister,  were  present.  Gen.  Grant  was  one  of 
the  judges.  The  first  heat  was  slow,  —  2rn.  30s.  In  the 
second  heat,  Doble  cut  loose  from  Silas  Bich,  and  made  the 
mile  in  2m.  21Js.  The  third  heat  was  2m.  27js. 

This  concluded  as  good  a  year's  performance  as  there  is 
to  be  found  in  the  records  of  trotting-horses ;  and  the  mile 
at  Washington  in  2m.  21|-s.,  late  in  the  month  of  November, 
shows  that  after  the  thousands  of  miles  Dexter  had  travelled, 
and  the  many  arduous  performances  he  had  been  called 
upon  to  make,  he  was  fully  as  good  as,  if  not  better  than, 
he  had  been  at  any  time  during  the  season.  He  was  of 
course  drawn  very  fine,  and  reduced  to  a  mere  frame  of  bone 
and  muscle,  pretty  much  as  he  had  been  when  he  finished 
the  doings  of  the  year  1865  by  beating  Gen.  Butler  two- 
mile  heats  to  wagon. 


THE  TROTTING-1IORSE  OF  AMERICA.  387 

He  is  passing  this  winter  at  Baltimore,  under  the  charge 
of  Peter  Conover;  and,  from  all  that  Doble  tells  me,  he  is 
likely  to  come  out  fine  in  the  spring.  It  is  unnecessary  to 
recapitulate  his  performances  since  he  left  my  stable.  I 
believe  I  have  given  them  all ;  and  it  occurs  to  me  that  I 
ought  to  call  public  attention  to  the  integrity  and  capacity 
with  which  Doble  has  trained  and  driven  him.  The  owners 
of  Dexter  were  fortunate  in  selecting  this  young  man  for 
the  post ;  and  the  public  were  fortunate  that  some  people  did 
not  get  hold  of  the  horse,  and  use  him  for  the  purpose  of 
plundering  the  people. 

Great  as  the  achievements  of  Dexter  have  been,  I  can 
see  no  reason  to  believe  that  he  has  yet  reached  his  highest 
development.  It  is  a  long  time  now  since  I  took  Mr.  Foster 
to  his  box,  and  pointing  out  his  very  remarkable  shape,  — 
the  wicked  head,  the  game-cock  throttle,  the  immense  depth 
over  the  heart,  the  flat,  oblique  shoulder  laid  back  clean 
under  the  saddle,  the  strong  .back,  the  mighty  haunches, 
square  and  as  big  as  those  of  a  cart-horse,  and  the  good, 
wiry  legs,  —  predicted  to  him  that  here  stood  the  future 
Lord  of  the  Trotting- World.  That  prediction  has  not  yet 
been  wholly  fulfilled,  but  my  faith  in  its  accomplishment  is 
not  at  all  shaken.  He  has  not  yet  beaten  the  2m.  19f  s.  in 
harness  of  Flora  Temple ;  nor  has  he  beat  the  2m.  25s.  to 
wagon  which  stands  to  her  credit  and  to  the  credit  of 
George  Wilkes ;  but  I  can  see  no  reason  to  doubt  that  to  do 
both  these  things  is  clearly  within  his  capacity.  The  2m. 
21  £s.  at  Washington  City,  on  the  20th  day  of  November, 
seems  to  me  to  proclaim  that  Dexter  is  still  improving,  and 
may  be  expected  to  surpass  the  grand  doings  of  1866,  by 
those  we  may  reasonably  look  for  in  the  year  which  has 
just  begun.* 

Some  people  imagine  that  the  strong  point  in  Dexter  is 

*  Hiram  died  in  the  middle  of  March,  1867 ;  and  therefore  the  grass  had  uot 
grown  upon  his  grave  when  these  predictions  in  regard  to  Dexter  had  been  ful- 
filled.   


388  TIIE  TROTTING-HOESE  OF  AMERICA. 

his  great  speed,  but  I  have  never  thought  so.  When  I 
matched  him  three-mile  heats  against  Stonewall  Jackson, 
in  the  early  part  of  his  career,  I  was  fully  convinced  that  he 
was  a  horse  of  fine  game  and  hard  bottom.  I  have  had 
horses  as  fast  as  he  is  for  a  brush ;  but  I  have  never  had 
another  that  could  maintain  a  great  rate  so  far,  and  come 
again  in  repeating  heats,  making  the  last  the  best.  I  think 
the  gray  mare  Peerless,  who  is  closely  related  to  Dexter,  as 
she  was  by  American  Star  out  of  a  mare  in  the  Messenger 
line,  was  as  fast  as  he  is.  The  breeding  of  Peerless  was 
much  the  same  as  his  in  blood,  but  reversed  in  the  sexes. 
She  was  the  produce  of  Star  and  a  mare  of  Messenger 
descent.  He  was  the  produce  of  a  Messenger  horse  in  the 
male  line  and  a  Star  mare.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  Peer- 
less could  equal  Dexter's  saddle-rate,  but  I  think  that  to 
wagons  they  would  be  very  close  together,  if  she  is  as  good 
as  she  once  was ;  but,  as  Dexter  appears  to  be  steadily  im- 
proving, he  will  probably  attain  to  a  rate  of  speed  in  harness 
and  to  wagon  such  as  we  have  never  yet  seen. 

I  had  a  horse  in  my  stable  late  last  fall  that  I  am  satisfied 
was  then  as  fast  as  Dexter;  and  I  think  it  quite  likely  that 
he  was  a  little  faster.  I  allude  to  Mr.  Bonner's  big  chest- 
nut gelding,  the  Auburn  Horse.  He  certainly  carried  me 
faster  than  I  had  ever  before  ridden  behind  a  trotter,  and  he 
went  away  from  Lady  Thorn  with  the  greatest  ease.  The 
Auburn  Horse  had  just  come  right,  and  got  to  feeling  well 
after  having  been  out  of  sorts  for  some  time.  His  speed 
and  resolute  way  of  going  had  soon  made  a  strong  impression 
upon  my  mind ;  and  I  told  my  friends  Oliver  Marshall  and 
Poster  that  if  I  could  have  him  to  trot  a  race,  I  thought  I 
could  put  a  mark  up  so  high  that  it  would  take  a  long  time 
to  wipe  it  out.  That  is  my  opinion  now,  and  the  readers  of 
this  work  have  a  right  to  know  it.  Yet  it  does  not  follow 
that  the  Auburn  Horse  is  equal  to  Dexter,  though  he  might 
trot  a  mile  in  harness  faster. 

When  we  look  at  the  grand  combination  of  excellent 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  389 

qualities  with  which  Dexter  is  gifted,  it  is  at  least  probable 
that  no  other  given  horse  possesses  them.  One  may  have 
his  speed  without  his  bottom ;  another  may  have  speed  and 
bottom  for  a  race,  or  two,  but  be  quite  unable  to  stand  the 
long  campaign  of  a  journey  of  two  thousand  miles,  with 
trots  nearly  every  week,  and  sometimes  two  or  three  in  a 
week.  A  third  may  be  a  fine  harness  and  wagon  horse,  but 
of  no  account  under  saddle.  A  fourth  may  be  fast  under 
saddle,  but  come  back  about  ten  seconds  when  in  harness  or 
to  wagon ;  and  a  fifth  may  go  along  finely  until  he  strikes 
the  mud,  or  feels  weight  behind  him,  either  of  which  stops 
him.  But  all  the  most  desirable  characteristics  Dexter 
possesses.  What  any  trotting-horse  can  do,  at  any  reason- 
able distance,  or  in  any  way  of  going,  he  can  do. 

I  think  the  Auburn  Horse  might  trot  faster  than  Dexter 
can  do  in  harness ;  but  I  should  not  feel  at  all  confident  of 
winning  a  race  with  him  against  Dexter.  I  know  the 
thorough  bottom  of  the  little  horse,  and  I  have  never  tested 
that  of  the  big  one.  There  is  no  reason  why  I  should  not 
say  here  what  I  have  already  said  to  some  of  my  friends : 
therefore  I  give  it  as  my  opinion,  that,  when  the  Auburn 
Horse  is  all  right,  I  can  drive  him  a  mile  in  2m.  18s.  in 
harness.  That  would  win  a  heat  from  Dexter,  I  think,  but 
it  would  not  win  a  race ;  and,  if  the  Auburn  Horse  came 
back  much  in  the  second  or  third  heat,  the  little  one  would 
probably  split  the  heats,  and  finally  win  the  race.  Of 
course  this  is  all  speculation,  as  Mr.  Bonner  will  not  trot 
any  of  his  horses  in  a  race ;  but  having  had  both  the  horses, 
and  having  driven  them  on  various  occasions  when  they 
were  both  feeling  fine  and  trotting  very  fast,  I  have  formed 
the  opinion  that  the  Auburn  Horse  can  trot  as  fast  in 
harness  as  Dexter  himself  can. 

Some  may  think  that  my  prejudices  lean  a  little  against 
Dexter,  now  that  he  is  no  longer  in  my  hands ;  but  I  do  not 
think  they  do.  One  thing  is  certain ;  and  that  is,  that  I 
believed  in  him  before  anybody  else  did,  except  Mr.  Alley, 


390  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

and  pronounced  him  the  best  trotting-horse  in  the  world,  or 
that  had  ever  been  in  the  world,  to  Mr.  Foster,  at  a  time 
when  the  majority  of  people  would  have  said  that  I  was 
crazy,  if  they  had  heard  me.  There  has  been  a  constant 
improvement  going  on  in  the  trotting-horse.  The  trotters 
are  much  better  bred  than  they  used  to  be,  and  that  has 
had  much  effect.  The  courses,  sulkies,  and  wagons  have 
also  been  improved.  Our  best  horses  have  generally  been 
close  together  in  rate.  There  was  but  a  shade  of  difference 
between  Flora  Temple  and  George  M.  Patchen,  and  her  and 
John  Morgan,  except  in  this,  that,  though  they  were  close 
up  to  her  head  in  one  or  two  races,  they  were  unable  to 
follow  her  along,  and  campaign  with  her.  But  considering 
what  Dexter  has  done,  keeping  in  mind  the  fact  that  he 
seems  to  be  steadily  improving  in  his  rate  in  harness,  and 
not  forgetting  that  he  could  certainly  trot  under  saddle  in 
2m.  15s.  a  year  ago  last  fall,  I  am  sometimes  led  to  the 
belief  that  he  may  some  day,  not  only  beat  Flora's  best  time 
in  harness,  but  open  a  gap  that  will  look  very  wide  to  those 
who  come  next. 


XLIX. 

On  Driving. — Difficulty  of  laying  down  Kules.  — Importance  of  a  Sensitive 
Mouth.  —  The  Bit  proper  for  a  Colt.  —  Much  Use  of  "  Bitting  "  Apparatus 
Mischievous.  —  The  Bits  in  Cold  Weather  to  be  warmed  before  Use.  —  A 
light.  Fine  Hand  required.  —  Pulling  to  be  avoided.  —  Gentleness  and 
Firmness.  — The  Horse  to  be  harnessed  so  as  to  be  at  Ease.  —  Dead  Pull 
an  Evil.  —  Proper  Position  of  the  Driver.  —  The  Shift  of  the  Bit.  —  How 
to  hold  the  Reins.  —Severe  Bits  bad. 

IT  is  of  course  very  difficult  to  lay  down  rules  for  driving 
trotting-horses ;  for  a  great  deal  depends  upon  the  char- 
acter and  disposition  of  the  horse  in  hand,  and  much  de- 
pends upon  the  method  which  may  have  been  followed  by 
those  who  broke  him.  It  very  often  happens  that  the 
driver  will  have  to  spend  some  time  in  undoing  and  repair- 
ing the  mischievous  effects  of  the  bad  driving  to  which  the 
horse  has  been  subjected.  The  colt  ought  to  be  bitted  and 
broken,  so  that  he  shall  have  a  lively,  sensitive  mouth, 
and  be  ready  to  answer  to  a  light,  neat  touch  upon  the 
rein.  The  bit  for  a  colt  should  not  be  of  great  size  and 
thickness.  A  bar  of  moderate  size,  rather  fine  than  thick, 
is  what  I  have  always  preferred.  Such  a  bit  is  sooner  felt, 
and  the  colt  keeps  his  head  up,  and  does  not  bear  down 
steadily  upon  it.  With  a  big  bar-bit  in  his  mouth,  he  is 
much  more  likely  to  hang  on  it,  by  which  means  the  mouth 
is  often  made  hard  and  callous.  This  is,  of  all  things,  to  be 
avoided. 

It  is  also  my  opinion  that  colts  do  not  require  as  much 
bitting  as  they  are  commonly  subjected  to ;  and  the  bitting- 
apparatus  ought  not  to  be  kept  on  them  very  long  at  ono 
time,  for  this  is  what  causes  sore  mouths,  and  they  result 

391 


392  THE  TPOTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

in  hard,  unfeeling  ones.  If  a  big,  heavy  bit  is  used  in  bit- 
ting, and  it  is  kept  in  the  colt's  mouth  long  at  a  time,  he 
will  soon  begin  to  hug  down  upon  it,  and  the  probability  of 
his  having  a  good  mouth  for  driving  is  lost.  It  will  become 
hard  and  tough,  and  he  will  fall  into  a  habit  of  always  bear- 
ing the  weight  of  his  head  upon  the  bit.  There  is  another 
thing  I  will  mention  here,  to  which  more  attention  ought 
to  be  paid.  Bits  are  often  kept  in  places  to  which  the  frost 
penetrates  in  very  cold  weather.  The  bits  become  frosted ; 
and,  without  a  thought  of  what  he  is  doing,  the  man  claps  a 
frosted  steel  bit  into  the  horse's  mouth.  The  consequence  is 
a  sore  mouth,  just  about  as  certainly  as  if  the  bit  had  been 
nearly  at  a  red  heat ;  and  then  the  man  bothers  his  brains 
to  find  out  what  caused  it.  If  he  had  put  the  frozen  bit 
into  his  own  mouth,  it  would  have  brought  the  inner  skin 
of  the  lips  away  with  it,  and  then  he  would  have  felt  the 
mischief.  In  very  cold  weather,  take  you?  bits  to  the  fire, 
and  be  sure  that  there  is  110  frost  in  the  steel  when  the  bit 
is  placed  in  your  horse's  mouth. 

Now  we  will  return  to  the  colt.  When  you  come  to  drive 
him,  it  should  be  with  a  light,  firm  hand.  The  reins  should 
be  handled  nicely  and  gently.  The  driver  can  manage  the 
colt  without  any  jerking  or  pulling  and  hauling,  if  he  keeps 
cool,  thinks  of  what  he  is  about,  and  uses  proper  care  and 
patience.  The  mouth  is  now  fine  and  sensitive ;  and  it  ought 
to  be  kept  so,  because  this  is  the  great  organ  of  communi- 
cation between  a  good  driver  and  the  trotter,  when  he  is 
cultivated  and  improved  into  a  fast  horse.  What  you  want 
the  trotter  to  do  when  he  is  at  speed  is  to  be  got  into  him 
through  his  mouth.  You  may  encourage  him  by  speaking 
to  him,  or  sting  him  into  a  greater  effort  with  the  whip; 
but  neither  of  these  is  half  as  good  as  the  play  upon  the 
reins,  with  which  you  let  him  know  what  you  want  through 
his  lively,  sensitive  mouth.  You  are  then  to  keep  in  con- 
stant mind  the  necessity  of  not  impairing  the  colt's  mouth 
by  rough  handling  of  the  reins.  If  you  pull  and  lug  at  the 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  393 

bit,  the  colt,  in  his  efforts  to  resist  what  hurts  him,  will  very 
soon  pull  too,  for  he  will  find  out  that  this  numbs  and  deadens 
the  jaws;  but  this  is  at  the  expense  of  ruination  to  the 
mouth.  It  will  become  hard  and  insensible  ;  and  the  first 
and  largest  part  of  the  mischief  which  goes  towards  the 
making  of  a  hard  puller  is  done. 

When  you  begin  to  drive  the  colt,  you  must  find  out  what 
sort  of  bit  suits  him  best.  This  is  matter  of  experimental 
trial.  Use  both  bars  and  snaffles,  all  easy ;  and  by  feel  of 
hand,  and  observation  of  the  way  in  which  the  colt  carries 
his  head,  you  will  soon  be  able  to  ascertain  which  bit  suits 
him  best.  The  nicety  of  your  touch  as  driver  should 
correspond  to  the  lively  sensibility  of  the  colt's  mouth.  A 
bad-tempered,  hasty  man  will  very  soon  spoil  a  good-tem- 
pered young  horse.  The  use  of  the  whip  ought,  as  a  general 
rule,  to  be  avoided.  In  some  cases,  it  must  be  used ;  but  it 
should  never  be  brought  into  play  when  the  horse  does  not 
know  what  it  is  for.  A  slap  with  the  whip,  which  almost 
makes  the  colt  jump  out  of  the  harness,  is  often  immediately 
followed  by  a  powerful  snatch  on  the  reins  to  pull  him  back 
again.  Both  of  these  are  as  bad  as  bad  can  be.  Sore 
mouths,  bad  tempers,  and  broken  gaits,  are  the  almost 
inevitable  results  of  such  handling.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
the  colt  has  been  well  broken,  and  has  a  good  lively  mouth, 
and  the  driver  handles  the  reins  skilfully  and  thoughtfully, 
the  colt  will  soon  learn  to  understand  every  move  of  the 
hand,  and  to  answer  it.  From  this  it  follows  that  you  ought 
to  make  no  move  with  the  bit  without  a  definite  object. 
When  you  feel  an  impulse  to  do  something  with  the  reins 
without  knowing  what  you  are  to  do  it  for,  don't  do  it  at  all. 
Such  moves  only  fool  the  horse.  Everybody  admits  that  a 
very  hard-pulling  horse  is  a  nuisance ;  and  everybody  knows 
that  some  horses  will  pull  if  they  are  to  trot,  and  will  not 
extend  themselves  without  a  strong  pull :  but,  even  in  regard 
to  these,  it  is  not  well  to  keep  up  a  steady,  rigid  pull  all  the 
time.  I  say,  rather  pull  for  a  space,  and  then  ease  off,  not 


394  THE  TROTTING-I10RSE  OF  AMERICA. 

suddenly,  but  gradually,  and  by  this  means  they  will  not 
pull  quite  so  hard,  and  will  trot  faster.  It  is  not  natural  for 
horses  to  pull  hard.  Some  there  are,  of  uncommon  ardor 
and  determination,  tha  t  will  pull  in  company ;  but  more  are 
made  hard-pullers  by  faulty  handling  when  young,  which 
has  deadened  their  mouths. 

In  order  that  a  fast  horse  should  be  under  circumstances 
to  do  his  best,  he  should  be  as  much  at  his  ease  in  his 
harness  and  general  rig  as  possible.  If  he  is  not,  he  is 
placed  at  almost  as  much  disadvantage  as  if  sore  or  stiff,  or 
suffering  from  some  bodily  ailment.  You  may  see  horses 
brought  out  of  the  stable  to  trot  with  a  very  tight  check  to 
keep  their  heads  up,  and  a  tight  martingale  to  keep  it  down. 
Such  a  horse  is  in  irons ;  and  when  to  this  is  added  a  dead 
drag  at  the  reins,  and  no  movement  of  the  bit  from  end  to 
end,  I  cannot  see  how  he  should  do  his  best.  People  talk 
about  a  steady,  bracing  pull ;  but,  in  my  opinion,  that  is  not 
tlve  right  way  to  drive  a  trotter.  There  is  a  great  difference 
between  letting  go  of  your  horse's  head,  and  keeping  up 
one  dull,  deadening  pull  all  the  time.  The  race-horse  riders 
practise  what  is  called  a  bracing  pull ;  and,  a  great  many 
times,  I  have  seen  their  horses  tire  under  it  without  ever 
running  their  best.  The  steady  pull  choked  them.  The 
pull  should  be  sufficient  to  feel  the  mouth,  and  give  some 
support  and  assistance,  so  as  to  give  the  horse  confidence  to 
get  up  to  his  stride.  More  than  that  is  mischievous.  To 
keep  the  mouth  alive,  the  bit  must  be  shifted  a  little  occa- 
sionally. But  this  is  not  to  be  done  by  a  pull  of  the  hand 
on  the  rein.  A  mere  half-turn  of  the  wrist,  or  less  than 
half  a  turn,  by  which  the  thumb  is  elevated  and  the  little 
finger  lowered,  is  sufficient  to  shift  the  bit,  keep  the  mouth 
sensitive,  and  rouse  the  horse. 

The  reins  are  to  be  steadily  held  with  both  hands  while 
this  play  with  the  wrist  is  made ;  and  it  is,  of  course,  only 
to  be  done  with  one  wrist  at  a  time.  The  hands  should  be 
well  down ;  and  the  driver  ought  not  to  sit  all  of  a  heap, 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  395 

with  his  head  forward.  Neither  should  he  lean  back,  with 
his  bodily  weight  on  the  reins,  which,  in  that  case,  are  made 
a  sort  of  stay  for  him.  He  should  be  upright ;  and  what 
pulling  he  must  do  should  be  done  by  the  muscular  force  of 
the  arms.  The  head  and  the  arms  are  what  a  good  driver 
uses ;  but  some  have  their  arms  straight  out,  and  pull  by 
means  of  putting  the  dead  weight  of  their  bodies  on  the 
reins.  If,  instead  of  lying  back,  and  putting  their  bodily 
weight  on  the  reins,  with  which  latter  they  take  a  turn 
round  their  hands,  drivers  would  depend  upon  their  muscular 
strength,  they  could  let  up  on  the  pull,  graduate  it,  and  so 
ease  the  horse  from  time  to  time  instantaneously.  The 
driver  who  depends  upon  the  arms  has  command  of  the 
horse :  he  who  substitutes  bodily  weight  with  the  reins 
wrapped  round  his  hands,  has  not  half  command  of  the 
horse,  or  of  himself  either ;  and,  if  the  horse  is  a  puller,  he 
will  soon  take  command  of  the  driver.  The  reason  of  it  is, 
that  there  is  no  intermission  of  the  exertion,  no  let  up, 
either  for  man  or  horse.  Besides,  in  that  way  of  driving, 
it  is  impossible  to  give  those  movements  to  the  bit  which 
seem  to  refresh  and  stimulate  the  horse  so  much.  When 
a  horse  has  been  taught  the  significance  of  this  move- 
ment of  the  bit,  the  shift  by  the  turn  of  the  wrist,  he 
will  never  fail  to  answer  it,  even  though  he  should  seem  to 
be  at  the  top  of  his  speed.  The  moment  he  feels  this  little 
move  of  the  bit  in  his  sensitive  mouth,  he  will  collect  him- 
self, and  make  another  spurt ;  and  the  value  of  this  way  of 
driving  is,  that  the  horse  is  not  likely  to  break  when  thus 
called  upon,  while  a  high-strung,  generous  horse,  if  called 
upon  for  a  final  effort  with  a  whip,  is  as  likely  to  break  the 
moment  it  falls  on  him  as  not.  I  have  won  many  a  very 
close  heat  by  practising  this  movement,  and  therefore  I  have 
no  hesitation  in  recommending  it.  It  is  not  difficult  to 
acquire,  and  the  horse  soon  comes  to  know  what  it  means. 
Let  us  come  now  to  the  way  of  taking  hold  of  the  reins. 
A  wrap  around  the  hand,  such  as  running-horse  riders  take, 


396  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

is  clumsy  and  bad.  I  do  not  know  whether  many  people 
take  hold  of  the  reins  as  I  do,  or  not.  Perhaps  not.  Sim. 
Hoagland  is  the  only  one  who  takes  hold  precisely  as  I  do, 
so  far  as  I  have  observed.  When  we  have  been  jogging 
horses  together  at  early  morning,  we  have  often  talked  over 
these  matters ;  and,  whether  our  way  was  the  best  way  or 
not,  we  could  never  see  any  other  that  suited  us  half  as 
well. 

I  will  try  to  explain  how  I  hold  the  reins :  I  could  show 
it  in  two  seconds.  Take,  first,  the  right-hand  rein.  This, 
coming  from  the  bit,  passes  between  the  little  finger  and 
the  third  finger,  over  the  little  finger,  then  under  the  other 
three  fingers,  and  up  over  the  thumb.  The  left-hand  rein  is 
held  in  the  left  hand  exactly  in  the  same  way  j  but  the  bight 
of  the  slack  of  the  reins  is  also  held  between  the  thumb 
and  forefinger  of  the  left  hand.  This  gives  more  substance 
in  that  hand;  but,  if  it  is  found  inconvenient  to  have  it 
there  by  those  who  have  small  hands,  it  may  be  dropped 
altogether.  A  firm  grasp  on  each  rein,  with  the  backs  of 
the  hands  up,  and  without  any  wrap,  is  thus  obtained.  It 
is  a  great  point  in  driving  to  be  able  to  shift  the  reach  — 
that  is,  the  length  of  the  hold  you  take  —  without  for  an 
instant  letting  go  of  the  horse's  head.  With  this  way  of 
holding  the  reins,  it  is  easily  done.  If  I  want  to  shorten 
the  hold  on  the  left-hand  rein  (the  near  rein),  I  take  hold  of 
that  rein  just  behind  the  left  hand  with  the  thumb  and 
forefinger  of  the  right  hand,  and  steady  it.  This  is  very 
easily  done ;  and  it  does  not  interfere  at  all  with  the  command 
of  the  off  rein  with  the  right  hand.  The  near  rein  being 
thus  steadied  behind  the  left  hand,  I  slide  that  hand  forward 
on  the  rein,  which  is  kept  over  the  little  finger,  under  the 
other  three  fingers,  and  over  the  thumb  all  the  time,  and 
then  shut  the  grasp  again  on  the  new  reach.  A  shift  with 
the  right  hand  is  made  just  in  the  same  way,  ~by  taking 
hold  and  steadying  the  rein  behind  that  hand  with  the 
thumb  and  forefinger  of  the  left  hand. 


THE   TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  397 

I  have  often  observed,  that,  with  other  methods  of  holding 
the  reins,  there  was  great  difficulty  in  shifting  the  reach. 
The  driver  tries  to  do  it ;  but,  for  an  instant,  he  has  let  go  of 
the  horse's  head  on  one  side  altogether,  and  broken  his 
stride.  When  this  is  found  to  be  the  case,  the  dead  pull  all 
the  time  is  adopted ;  and  this  spoils  the  freedom  and  elasticity 
of  the  horse's  stride,  and  chokes  his  wind.  I  do  not  intend 
this  to  be  taken  as  instruction  for  professional  drivers. 
Every  driver  has  a  way  of  his  own  j  and  some  of  them  have 
very  good  ways,  for,  as  I  have  taken  occasion  to  state  before, 
they  drive  well.  But  what  I  have  set  down  above  may  be 
of  service  to  gentlemen  who  drive  their  own  horses,  and  to 
those  young  men  who,  having  as  yet  no  settled  method  of 
their  own,  may  think  it  well  enough  to  try  that  which  I 
have  found  to  answer.  Another  word  about  bits.  I 
am  opposed  to  the  use  of  severe  bits,  and  complicated  things 
of  that  sort.  Some  of  the  inventors  of  such  things  say 
that  I  am  prejudiced ;  but  I  don't  think  I  am.  If  a  man 
has  a  horse  that  cannot  be  driven  with  a  bar-bit  or  a  snaffle, 
he  may  as  well  sell  him,  except  it  is  a  very  exceptional 
case.  Where  are  these  kinds  of  severe  complicated  bits  most 
in  use  ?  Why,  in  England ;  five  hundred  or  a  thousand  of 
them  are  used  there  to  one  that  is  used  here :  and  where  do 
the  horses  trot  the  best  ?  These  bits  are  mostly  invented 
by  men  who  have  had  110  practical  experience  whatever  as 
to  what  sort  of  driving  a  fast  trotter  requires  to  keep  his 
gait  square  and  bold,  and  induce  him  to  do  his  best  when  it 
is  called  for.  When  a  horse  has  a  good  mouth,  —  and  a  bad 
one  is  almost  always  the  fault  of  bad  breaking  and  driving,  — 
the  easier  the  bit  you  use,  the  better  he  will  act  for  yon,  and 
the  more  speed  he  will  show  you. 


Of  Breaking  in  Trotting.  —  A  gaining  Break.  —  Snatching  to  be  avoided. 
—  How  to  catch  the  Horse  to  his  Trot.  —  Nature  of  the  catching  Pull.  — 
The  Horse  to  be  steadied  when  he  has  caught.  —  A  Break  sometimes 
desirable.  —  How  to  bring  it  about.  —  Confidence  of  the  Horse  in  his 
Driver.  —  Sagacity  of  Horses.  —  To  prevent  a  Break.  —  Signs  of  one 
coming. 

IN  the  consideration  of  the  art  of  driving  a  trotting- 
horse,  another  important  part  is  that  of  breaking.  As  a 
general  rule,  breaking  is  to  be  avoided  rather  than  encour- 
aged and  promoted ;  though  there  are  times  when  a  trotter 
may  be  broken  with  advantage  to  his  speed  and  staying-power 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  work.  There  is,  however,  no  horse 
but  will  break  sometimes,  and  that  when  he  is  not  tired ; 
for  the  steadiest  and  stoutest  of  trotters  may  break  through 
a  false  step.  When  you  are  educating  a  horse  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  a  trotter  of  him,  you  must  endeavor  to 
shape  his  action  in  his  breaks.  Just  as  it  depended 
whether  you  should  make  a  puller  of  him  by  your  way  of 
driving  in  his  educational  period,  so  it  depends  whether  you 
shall  teach  him  to  make  a  gaining  break,  —  which  is  to 
say,  to  lose  nothing  in  space,  and  gain  something  by 
change  of  muscular  action,  —  or  whether  you  shall  suffer 
him  to  become  a  bad,  losing  breaker.  In  the  one  case, 
nothing  is  actually  lost  by  a  break ;  in  the  other,  you  drop 
behind  largely,  often  so  far  that  it  cannot  be  made  up.  - 

Then,  when  the  horse  is  being  formed  for  a  trotter,  he  is 
not  to  be  suddenly  snatched  at  when  he  breaks :  if  he  is,  he 
will  contract  a  habit  of  dropping  back  in  his  harness,  and 
almost  coming  to  a  stand-still  as  soon  as  he  breaks.  You 

398 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  399 

will  see  some  of  our  fastest  trotters  do  this.  In  order  to 
avoid  it,  let  the  horse,  when  being  formed  for  a  trotter,  take 
a  good  lope  or  two  when  he  makes  a  hreak  before  you  try  to 
catch  him.  Should  you  find,  that,  without  being  pulled, 
he  has  a  tendency  to  come  back  into  the  breeching  when 
he  breaks,  touch  him  with  the  whip  at  such  times,  and 
teach  him,  that,  whatever  else  he  may  do,  his  main  business 
is  to  go  right  ahead  all  the  time  until  you  pull  him  up. 
In  catching  a  horse  in  a  break,  the  driver  must  do  it  princi- 
pally with  one  rein.  Some  chiefly  use  the  off  rein,  some 
the  near  rein.  It  is  not  material  which,  except  in  this, 
that  some  horses  catch  more  readily  and  easily  on  one  than 
on  the  other.  This,  as  regards  any  particular  horse,  is  only 
found  out  by  observation  and  trial.  It  is  always  to  be  done 
with  one  rein.  A  dead  pull  on  both  reins  will  not  bring 
a  horse  to  his  trot ;  but,  if  his  head  be  pulled  slightly  round 
to  one  side  and  upwards,  he  will  grab  for  his  trot  immedi- 
ately. 

The  movement  of  the  reins  to  be  somewhat  like  that 
which  is  effected  by  the  turn  of  the  wrist,  in  shifting  the 
bit,  to  keep  the  mouth  lively  and  call  for  another  effort  when 
the  trotter  is  doing  about  his  best.  There  is,  however, 
more  pull  on  one  rein ;  for,  in  the  shift,  the  action  is  merely 
momentary,  besides  which  in  the  catch  there  is  to  be  a  yield- 
ing of  the  other  rein.  The  driver  is  not  by  any  means  to 
let  go  of  the  head  with  one  hand,  while  trying  to  catch  the 
horse  in  a  break  with  the  other ;  but  he  must  give  with  the 
opposite  hand  just  about  as  much  as  the  horse's  head  must 
come  to  one  side  to  catch  his  trot.  The  catching  pull  is  not 
to  be  a  yanking,  jerking  pull :  if  it  is,  the  horse  will  sheer 
off,  and  lose  a  great  deal  by  the  swerve,  —  perhaps  cross,  or 
run  into  somebody.  It  is  to  be  a  quick,  firm,  but  not 
violent  movement.  To  do  it  well,  and  to  learn  to  do  it  just 
at  the  right  time,  will  be  worth  your  while ;  and  practice 
will  enable  you  to  learn  it  if  you  will  follow  these  direc- 
tions. 


400  THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

By  making  the  horse  understand  that  he  is  not  to  come 
back  in  his  breaks,  and  by  learning  how  to  catch  him  readily 
and  get  him  going  on  with  his  trot  right  forward,  he  will 
be  made  a  lively  breaker,  and  you  will  have  gained  a  very 
great  point  in  the  art  of  driving.  Some  horses  eventually 
learn  to  catch  their  trot  with  their  head  straight  and  their 
noses  out ;  but  this  can  only  be  said  of  few.  "When  the 
horse  has  caught  after  a  break,  cool  nerve  and  steadiness 
are  wanted  on  the  part  of  the  driver.  If  the  latter  is  in 
too  much  of  a  hurry,  and  lets  go  of  the  horse's  head  as  soon 
as  he  lands  on  a  trot,  a  double  break  is  commonly  the 
result.  It  is  necessary  to  steady  the  horse  when  he  has 
caught,  and  to  see  him  settled  down  square  to  his  trot 
before  you  ease  off  to  him,  and  call  for  speed.  When  you 
do  ease  off,  it  should  be  gradually,  so  that  he  may  get  up  to 
the  length  and  quickness  of  his  stroke  by  degrees,  instead 
of  trying  to  do  so  by  a  convulsive  effort. 

This,  in  my  opinion,  is  the  method  the  driver  should 
adopt  to  teach  the  horse  to  be  lively  in  his  breaks,  and  to 
catch  well.  I  do  not  call  this  teaching  them  to  break. 
There  is  a  great  difference  in  principle  between  the  two 
things.  I  have  long  heard  that  a  driver  has  no  business  to 
teach  a  horse  to  break.  The  thing  to  be  got  into  the  horse 
is  to  trot  fast  and  maintain  his  trot  for  a  mile  or  two  miles, 
if  he  is  a  stout  and  honest  horse,  without  any  break  at  all : 
but  as  I  have  shown  in  prior  chapters,  and  in  the  beginning 
of  this  chapter,  there  are  times  when  a  horse  will  break  ; 
and  then  it  makes  a  vast  difference  whether  his  break  shall 
be  lively,  and  he  shall  catch  well,  or  whether  it  shall  be  dead 
into  the  ground  or  up  into  the  air,  bobbing  about  like  a  ship 
in  a  ground  swell,  with  no  wind  to  steady  her.  Therefore, 
distinguish  the  difference  between  teaching  your  horse  to 
break,  which  is  mischievous  and  to  be  avoided,  and  teaching 
him  to  break  lively,  with  a  free  forward  movement,  and  to 
catch  well  when  he  does  break. 

Sometimes  a  driver  of  good  judgment  will  break  his  horse 


THE  TROTTING-HORSE  OF  AMERICA.  401 

on  purpose,  but  this  is  not  in  a  process  of  teaching  him  to 
break  well.  It  is  at  a  pinch,  when  he  sees  that  the  horse  is 
becoming  lifeless  and  dull  in  action,  and  beginning  to  dwell 
in  his  stroke.  A  good  lively  break  at  such  a  time  will  often 
revive  the  horse  amazingly,  and  therefore  it  ought  to  be 
forthwith  put  in  practice.  There  are  two  ways  of  doing  this. 
If  the  horse  is  a  quick  one,  hit  him  with  the  whip  across 
the  buttocks,  and,  as  you  do  so,  let  go  of  his  head.  He  will 
break  with  a  good  forward  bound  j  and,  as  you  will  have 
made  him  break  at  your  own  time,  you  will  be  all  ready  to 
catch  him.  The  other  method  is  by  a  sudden  snatch  on  one 
rein,  which  will  throw  him  out  of  his  stride  and  break  him. 
The  former  of  these  two  methods  is  to  be  preferred  where 
the  horse  can  be  broken  by  the  cut  with  the  whip,  and  the 
accompanying  let-go ;  but  though  this  breaking  up  on  pur- 
pose is  sometimes  useful,  and  even  necessary  in  a  tight  place, 
beware  of  doing  it  often.  If  you  practise  in  this  way  on 
your  horse  to  learn  how  to  do  it  yourself,  and  see  how  nicely 
you  can  break  him  up  and  catch  him,  you  will  teach  him  to 
break  as  a  habit,  and  confirm  him  in  it.  Many  good  horses 
have  thus  been  spoiled. 

There  is  another  thing  of  which  you  should  beware,  and 
it  is  a  thing  that  is  often  done :  when  your  horse  breaks, 
do  not  go  under  him  with  the  whip.  If  you  do  so,  the  horse 
will  become  scared,  and  will  not  know  what  to  do.  This 
uncertainty,  and  the  fear  of  the  whip,  will  keep  him  all  the 
time  in  danger  of  a  break.  He  is  afraid:  expecting  the 
whip,  expecting  to  break,  having  no  knowledge  of  what  his 
driver  wants  him  to  do,  and  no  confidence  in  any  settled  and 
understood  purpose  in  him  as  a  driver,  what  can  the  horse 
be  expected  to  do  ?  Confidence  between  the  trotting-horse 
and  his  driver  is  of  the  utmost  importance  :  it  is  all  in  all. 
Some  men  inspire  it  readily,  so  that  a  horse  will  take  hold 
and  do  all  he  knows  the  first  time  the  man  drives  him. 
For  another  man  the  same  horse  will  not  trot  a  yard.  Tho 
truth  is,  that  the  horse  is  a  very  knowing,  sagacious  creature, 


402  THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA. 

much  more  so  than  he  gets  credit  for.  If  a  driver  has  no 
settled  system  of  his  own,  or  if  he  is  rash  or  severe  without 
cause,  it  is  not  likely  that  confidence  will  be  inspired  in  the 
horse,  even  in  a  long  time.  Especially  is  this  the  case  when 
the  horse  is  punished  without  his  knowing  what  it  is  for. 

In  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  a  horse  punished  without  his 
knowing  what  for  is  punished  for  his  driver's  fault,  not  for 
his  own.  Confidence  cannot  grow  in  such  circumstances. 
If  you  observe  two  good  trotters  who  have  been  accustomed 
to  work  together  in  double  harness,  you  will  see  what  speed 
and  steadiness  follow  from  confidence  in  each  other.  Each 
knows  that  he  or  she  can  depend  upon  the  mate  to  keep  up 
the  stroke,  and  maintain  the  even  pull  and  level  action.  It 
is  of  just  as  much  importance  that  the  single-harness  horse 
should  understand  and  have  confidence  in  his  driver,  as  it  is 
for  a  double-harness  horse  to  know  the  power  and  ways  of 
his  mate.  Unless  this  sort  of  mutual  understanding  can  be 
established  between  the  driver  and  the  horse,  the  latter  can 
never  be  relied  upon  to  do  his  best.  The  readiest  way  to 
produce  it  is  to  use  him  gently  but  firmly,  and  to  accustom 
him  to  the  system  of  telegraphing  to  him  by  means  of  the 
reins  in  your  hand  and  the  bit  in  his  mouth.  The  whip  is 
to  be  kept  very  much  in  the  background  while  you  are  cul- 
tivating confidence  in  your  horse.  It  is  more  likely  to 
prove  an  obstacle  than  an  aid. 

I  now  come  to  the  last  critical  point  in  this  matter,  — 
when  the  horse  is  tired,  and  inclined  to  break.  In  a  long 
brush,  you  will  often  have  reason  to  look  for  an  attempt  to 
break,  and  it  will  generally  be  in  circumstances  when  the 
horse  must  not  be  suffered  to  do  it.  There  are  times,  as  I  have 
shown,  when,  with  a  tired  horse,  a  break  may  be  brought  on 
with  advantage ;  but  there  are  others  when  all  will  be  lost  if 
a  break' occurs.  To  prevent  it,  give  the  shift  with  the  bit 
when  you  perceive  that  he  begins  to  tire,  and  soon  renew  it ; 
this  will  revive  and  rouse  him,  and  take  his  mind  off  the 
break  which  he  has  felt  he  was  about  to  make.  The  signs 


THE  TROTTING-IIORSE  OF  AMERICA.  403 

of  a  coming  break  will  be  discovered  by  watching  the  head 
and  ears  of  the  horse.  The  attention  of  the  driver  ought 
always  to  be  fixed  upon  the  head  of  his  horse.  Many  a  heat 
is  lost  by  neglect  of  this  matter.  A  driver  is  seen  coming 
up  the  stretch  a  length  or  a  length  and  a  half  ahead.  Both 
the  horses  are  tired,  but  the  leading  one  could  win.  The 
driver,  however,  when  he  gets  where  the  carriages  are,  turns 
his  head  to  look  at  the  ladies,  or  to  see  whether  they  are 
looking  at  him.  Just  then  the  horse  gives  a  twitch  with 
his  ears  j  the  driver  don't  see  it ;  up  flies  the  trotter,  and 
the  ugly  man  behind  keeps  his  horse  square,  and  wins  by  a 
neck. 


THE  END. 


APPENDIX. 


DEXTER   IN    1867-68. 

IF  the  author  of  the  foregoing  work  had  lived  another  year,  he 
would  unquestionably  have  continued  the  sketch  of  Dexter  down 
to  the  period  of  that  horse's  retirement  from  the  public  trotting- 
turf,  when  he  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Bonner,  in  the  summer  of 
1867.  To  supplement  that  sketch,  by  a  few  brief  observations 
upon  the  most  excellent  of  Dexter's  performances  in  that  year, 
now  devolves  upon  the  editor.  The  horse  was  wintered  at  Balti- 
more, and  did  well.  In  the  spring  of  1867,  a  challenge  was  pub- 
lished in  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Times,"  from  Mr.  C.  P.  Relf,  the 
owner  of  the  celebrated  mare  Lady  Thorn,  offering  to  trot  her 
mile  heats,  three  in  five,  and  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  and  the 
same  races  to  wagons,  against  any  horse  in  the  world.  The  chal- 
lenge was  accepted  for  Dexter,  and  the  matches  were  made  to  trot 
on  the  Fashion  Course. 

Before  these  matches  came  off,  Dexter  trotted  for  a  purse  at 
Middletown,  Orange  County,  on  the  16th  of  May,  against  Gold- 
smith Maid.  He  beat  her  very  easily ;  and  this  early  appearance 
convinced  those  who  saw  him  trot  that  he  retained  all  his  speed. 

The  matches  between  Dexter  and  Lady  Thorn  were  for  two 
thousand  dollars  each.  The  first  of  them,  mile  heats,  three  in  five, 
in  harness,  came  off  at  the  Fashion  Course  on  the  28th  of  May. 

405 


406  APPENDIX. 

A  great  deal  of  public  interest  had  been  excited,  and  tliere  was  an 
immense  gathering  of  people  to  see  the  race.  When  the  matches 
were  first  made,  the  betting  was  about  60  to  40  on  Dexter ;  but,  as 
his  performances  of  the  previous  season  were  called  to  mind  and 
discussed,  he  became  a  stronger  favorite,  and,  just  before  they 
started,  he  was  backed  at  100  to  50.  He  was  driven  by  Budd 
Doble,  while  the  mare  was  handled  by  Dan  Pfifer.  In  the  first 
heat,  Dexter  took  the  lead  at  the  start,  was  never  headed,  and  won 
by  two  lengths  in  2m.  24s.  In  the  second  heat,  Dexter  also  took 
the  lead,  and  was  ahead  of  the  mare  a  length  at  the  half-mile  in 
1m.  12s.  The  pace  .was  then  improved,  and  was  very  fast  to  the 
head  of  the  stretch.  There  the  mare  was  called  upon  to  "  head 
him  or  die  ;  "  and,  being  unable  to  stand  the  increased  rate  neces- 
sary, she  made  a  bad  break,  and  he  distanced  her  in  2m.  22s. 

The  next  race  between  Dexter  and  Lady  Thorn,  mile  heats, 
three  in  five,  to  wagons,  was  trotted  on  the  7th  of  June.  The 
public  had  now  come  to  the  conclusion  that  no  living  horse  could 
beat  Dexter  if  he  was  in  good  condition;  and  100  to  20  was  laid 
on  him.  The  first  heat  in  this  race  was  slow.  The  mare  broke 
twice,  and  Dexter  was  held  back  for  her.  He  won  in  2m.  32s. 
But,  in  the  second  heat,  there  was  one  of  the  finest  displays  of 
fast  and  powerful  trotting  that  has  ever  been  witnessed.  They 
went  away  together,  and  at  the  quarter  pole  Dexter  led  half  a 
length.  At  the  half-mile,  he  was  a  length  ahead.  He  held  the 
mare  at  his  wheel  to  the  head  of  the  stretch,  and  from  thence  a 
desperate  struggle  ensued.  Lady  Thorn  surpassed  any  thing  that 
had  been  done  prior  to  that  to  wagon  ;  but  Dexter  beat  her  by  hah" 
a  length  in  2m.  24s.  This  beat  the  best  tune  before  made  to 
wagon  by  one  second.  Flora  Temple  and  George  Wilkes  had 
both  trotted  previously  in  2m.  25s.  The  third  heat  was  another 
fine  one,  especially  in  appearance.  Dexter  was  pulled  back  so  as 
to  just  keep  the  mare  well  extended,  and  beat  her  half  a  length  in 
2m.  28s. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  Dexter  and  the  mare  had  another  meeting 


APPENDIX.  407 

at  the  Fashion,  and  trotted  two-mile  heats  in  harness.  It  was  a 
good  race  and  fast  Dexter  won  the  first  heat  by  two  lengths  in 
4m.  51s.  This  was  within  half  a  second  of  the  best  two  miles 
ever  made  in  harness,  which  was  4m.  50js.,  by  Flora  Temple. 
Dexter  then  won  the  second  heat  in  5m.  Ol^s. 

Before  this  race  of  two-mile  heats  in  harness,  another  engage- 
ment had  been  made  for  Dexter.  He  was  matched  to  trot  in  har- 
ness against  Ethan  Allen  and  a  running-mate  in  double  harness. 
The  terms  of  it  were  for  two  thousand  dollars,  mile  heats,  three  in 
five,  to  come  off  on  the  21st  of  June.  Six  years  before,  Ethan 
Allen  and  his  running-mate  Socks  had  trotted  in  2m.  19fs.  It  had 
been  lately  found,  that,  in  Dan  Mace's  hands,  Ethan  was  capable  of 
going  faster  than  that  in  the  like  rig.  He  had  now  for  a  running- 
mate  a  young  thoroughbred  mare,  called  Charlotte  F.  She  was 
got  by  imported  Scythian,  out  of  Blackbird's  dam  by  imported 
Ainderby ;  and  Mace  had  taught  her  to  run  so  evenly,  and  with 
such  power  of  stroke,  that  she  carried  the  old  stallion  along  by  the 
breeching  at  an  enormous  rate.  On  the  29th  of  May,  Ethan  Allen 
and  his  mare  went  against  Brown  George  and  his  runner,  and  beat 
them  in  three  heats.  The  third  was  trotted  in  2m.  19s.  This  led 
to  the  match  with  Dexter. 

On  the  21st  of  June,  an  immense  crowd  assembled  at  the  Fashion 
Course  to  see  the  race.  The  team  paid  forfeit,  Charlotte  F.  having 
strained  a  tendon.  But  a  new  match  was  made  for  five  hundred 
dollars  a  side,  and  they  came  up  to  the  post.  The  runner  substi- 
tuted for  the  mare  was  the  one  that  had  gone  with  Brown  George, 
a  black  gelding,  captured  in  the  war.  The  betting  was  two  to  one 
on  Dexter. 

In  the  first  heat,  he  had  the  pole.  They  went  off  at  amazing 
speed,  and  at  the  quarter  the  double  team  led  two  lengths  in  32s. 
They  maintained  the  rate,  and  went  to  the  half-mile  in  1m.  04s., 
three  lengths  ahead.  They  were  four  lengths  in  the  lead  at  the 
head  of  the  stretch,  and  won  by  five  lengths  in  2m.  15s.  A  won- 
derful performance  it  was  all  round,  but  especially  for  Dexter,  who 


408  APPENDIX. 

trotted  singly,  and  pulled  his  own  vehicle  and  driver.  He  unques- 
tionably beat  2m.  1 7s. 

The  betting  was  even,  it  being  thought  that  the  team  would  give 
out  before  the  end  of  three  heats,  while  it  was  pretty  well  known 
that  Dexter  would  "  stick."  Soon  after  they  got  the  word  in  the 
second  heat,  the  stallion  broke.  Dexter  led  a  length  on  the  turn, 
where  he  was  trotting  close  to  the  outside.  He  took  the  pole  be- 
fore he  reached  the  quarter,  and  went  on  with  the  lead  to  the  half- 
mile,  where  his  time  was  1m.  06s.  But  now  the  runner  and  the 
trotter  had  got  to  his  wheel,  having  come  through  the  straight 
work  of  the  back-stretch  at  a  very  high  rate  of  speed.  The  pace 
was  so  hot  that  Ethan  broke  on  the  Flushing  turn  ;  but,  when  he 
caught,  the  runner  whirled  him  along  at  such  a  rate  that  they 
overhauled  Dexter,  and  beat  him  by  three  lengths  in  2m.  1  Gs.  Dex- 
ter must  have  trotted  this  heat  in  2in.  17s.  or  2m.  17js. :  and  it 
affords  the  most  notable  example  of  constancy  and  courage  that 
ever  was  seen  ;  for,  after  he  had  trotted  the  first  half-mile  in  the 
amazing  tune  of  1m.  06s.,  and  had  kept  the  lead  for  three-quarters 
of  a  mile,  he  never  left  his  feet  when  the  team,  like  a  storm,  came 
rushing  by,  but  trotted  out  to  the  end  in  2m.  1 7s.,  or  thereabouts. 
The  team  won  the  third  heat  in  2m.  19s. 

The  trotting  of  Dexter  in  this  race  settled  three  things  in  the 
minds  of  thoughtful  and  reasoning  people :  first,  that,  high  as  his 
powers  had  been  estimated,  they  had  been  underrated;  second, 
that  no  trotter  going  on  equal  terms  with  him  had  any  chance  to 
beat  him,  barring  accidents ;  third,  that  a  race  between  a  trotter 
in  single  harness,  and  another  trotter  in  double  harness  with  a  run- 
ning-mate, was  no  fair  match.  The  conclusion  was,  that  the  run- 
ning-horse beat  Dexter. 

On  Saturday,  June  29,  Dexter  and  Lady  Thorn  trotted  their 
last  race  on  the  Fashion  Course,  —  two-mile  heats  to  wagons. 
The  horse  was  fine-drawn  and  wiry,  from  the  effect  of  his  desper- 
ate exertions  against  the  double  team ;  but  he  was  in  no  wise  stale, 
for  his  eye  was  bright,  his  coat  sleek,  and  his  spirit  eager.  Ten  to 


APPENDIX.  409 

one  was  laid  on  Dexter  o^tore  the  start ;  and  he  won  with  great 
ease  in  two  heats,  —  5m.  01  s.,  5in.  09s. 

He  had  an  engagement  on  hand  with  Ethan  Allen  and  Char- 
ictte  K..  for  the  Fourth  of  July.  It  was  to  go  mile  heats,  three  in 
five,  on  the  half-mile  track  at  Morristown,  N.J.  The  track 
was  not  calculated  for  a  very  fast  race  ;  but  yet  the  team  was  com- 
pelled to  go  in  2m.  20|s.,  2m.  20£s.,  and  2m.  20s.,  to  beat  Dexter. 
Some  maintained  at  the  time,  that,  considering  the  nature  of  the 
course,  this  was  quite  as  good  a  race  as  the  one  at  the  Fashion. 

Dexter  now  met  Lady  Thorn  for  the  last  time.  On  the  10th  of 
July,  they  trotted  mile  heats,  three  in  five,  in  harness,  at  Trenton, 
N.J.  Dexter  won  in  three  heats.  The  last  was  fast,  —  2m.  20-|s. 
The  track  was  sandy,  deep,  and  heavy ;  and  it  was  now  clearly 
perceived  that  the  hour  for  surpassing  Flora  Temple's  crowning 
heat  —  2m.  19|s.  —  was  close  at  hand. 

On  the  16th  of  July,  Dexter  was  at  Albany,  and  there  trotted 
against  Brown  George  and  running-mate  on  the  Island-park 
Course.  Brown  George  was  not  much  of  a  trotter  by  himself;  but, 
with  the  aid  of  a  good  running-mate,  he  could  put  in  three  heats 
very  fast.  Inferior  as  he  was  to  Ethan  Allen  in  that  and  in  every 
other  way  of  going,  he  could  still,  with  his  running-mate,  beat  any 
horse  in  the  country  save  Dexter.  But  Dexter  he  could  not  beat. 
The  little  wonder  won  in  three  heats,  —  2m.  22s.,  2m.  20js.,  2m. 
20ls.  The  great  fact  which  had  so  often  been  insisted  upon,  by 
the  admirers  of  Dexter  was  now  being  made  manifest  to  the  dull- 
est mind ;  viz.,  that  his  deep  bottom,  and  immense  constitutional 
power  of  standing  fast  work,  enabled  him  to  improve  under  a 
course  of  travelling  and  racing  which  would  have  upset,  and  for  the 
time  ruined,  any  other  trotter  in  existence. 

Dexter  beat  Brown  George  and  running-mate  in  three  heats  at 
Providence  on  the  26th  of  July,  and  then,  going  on  to  Boston, 
surpassed  any  thing  that  had  ever  before  been  done  by  a  trotter. 
It  was  on  the  30th ;  and  he  went  in  harness  against  Brown  George 
and  running-mate  on  the  Riverside-park  Course.  The  track  is  a 


410  APPENDIX. 

half-mile  one.  The  fame  of  Dexter,  and  the  speed  of  his  recent 
exploits,  drew  together  an  immense  multitude.  The  fences  and 
stands  broke  down ;  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  the  course 
could  be  kept  clear  for  the  horses.  Dexter  won  the  first  heat 
easily,  in  2m.  21|s.  The  second  was  fast  and  close.  In  the  first 
quarter,  George  made  one  little  break,  and  Dexter  led  at  the  half- 
mile,  in  1m.  10s.  The  last  half-mile  was  stoutly  contested.  Fast 
as  Dexter  was  going,  the  runner  and  the  trotter  drew  towards 
him,  and  at  length  headed  him.  But  the  little  horse  then  made 
himself  up  for  a  finishing  struggle.  He  again  got  even  with  the 
team,  and,  passing  them  in  the  straight  work,  came  homo,  full  of 
power  and  trot  in  2m.  19s.  The  best  time  of  Flora  had  now  been 
beaten  !  Dexter  won  the  third  heat  in  2m.  21ls.  Let  it  be  re- 
membered that  this  was  on  a  half-mile  track  ;  and  then  let  ns  look 
at  the  figures,  —  2m.  21|s.,  2m.  19s.,  2m.  21ls.  They  are  so  forci- 
ble and  eloquent  that  no  more  need  be  said.  This  is  not  one  fast 
heat  out  of  three,  but  three  fast  heats  in  succession.  Ye*  there 
was  good  reason  to  expect  it  after  the  races  against  Ethan  Allen 
and  mate,  and  from  the  known  almost-everlasting  capacity  of 
Dexter  to  improve  under  plenty  of  strong  work. 

It  is  unnecessary,  in  this  place,  to  notice  any  further  perform- 
ances made  by  Dexter  on  the  trotting-turf,  except  that  in  which 
he  went  against  time  at  Buffalo.  There  is  little  doubt  of  the  fact 
that  the  negotiations  between  Mr.  Bonner  and  Mr.  Fawcett  for 
his  purchase  and  sale  had  been,  virtually  concluded  soon  after  he 
went  against  Ethan  Allen  and  running-mate  on  the  Fashion 
Course.  But,  be  that  as  it  may,  on  the  14th  of  August,  at  Buffalo, 
Mr.  Bonner  and  Mr.  Fawcett  being  both  present,  Dexter  was  en- 
gaged by  Doble  to  beat  his  own  time  on  the  Riverside  Park  at 
Boston.  The  famous  little  horse  was  brought  out  and  warmed  up. 
Doble  then  intimated  to  the  judges  that  he  should  drive  one 
round  as  preparatory.  The  horse  went  to  the  quarter  in  34s.,  to 
the  half-mile  in  1m.  10s,  and  trotted  in  2m.  21^s.  This  was  a 
great  deal  faster  than  Doble  had  intended  to  drive  him ;  and,  in- 


APPENDIX.  411 

deed,  most  of  the  people  thought  that  it  was  a  real  effort  and  fail- 
ure. After  being  scraped  and  cooled  out,  Dexter  was  again  har- 
nessed, and  brought  on  the  course  at  four  o'clock.  With  him  there 
came  Ben  Mace  and  the  thoroughbred  mare  Charlotte  F., 
who  had  aided  Ethan  Allen  at  Morristown.  She  was  under  sad- 
dle, Mace  riding ;  and  it  was  his  office  to  lay  at  Dexter's  quarters, 
to  keep  up  his  emulation  and  determination  to  conquer.  A  little 
jog  or  two,  and  then  the  trotter  in  harness,  and  the  runner  under 
saddle,  went  up  the  stretch,  and  came  along  for  the  word.  As 
Dexter  was  seen  to  be  going  very  square  and  well,  it  was  given. 
The  pace  was  fast.  He  trotted  the  first  quarter  in  33|s.,  made  the 
half-mile  in  1m.  07s.,  and  came  home  in  2m.  17ls.,  in  good  wind, 
and  with  a  stroke  of  commanding  power.  This  performance 
capped  the  climax  of  his  fame,  so  far  as  public  trotting  in  races  is 
concerned.  The  sale  to  Mr.  Bonner  was  made  known,  and  also 
the  condition  that  Dexter  was  not  to  be  delivered  until  after  he 
had  fulfilled  an  existing  engagement  at  Chicago.  The  price  was 
thirty-three  thousand  dollars ;  and  considering  the  income  he  had 
earned,  and  might  have  continued  to  earn,  by  trotting  in  public, 
Dexter  was  one  of  the  cheapest  horses  that  ever  was  sold.  He 
was  not  only  a  means  of  wealth,  but  of  distinction,  to  Mr.  Fawcett. 
Although  the  time  Dexter  made  at  Buffalo,  2m.  1 7is.,  capped 
the  climax  of  his  fame,  it  was  not  the  full  measure  of  his  capacity. 
He  had  steadily  improved  up  to  that  date,  and  there  is  no  rea- 
son to  believe  that  he  then  attained  the  greatest  excellence  of 
which  he  was  capable.  He  has  improved  since  he  came  into  the 
possession  of  Mr.  Bonner ;  and  facts  warrant  the  belief,  that  he 
will  some  day,  when  he  is  at  the  pitch  of  condition,  and  other 
things  arc  favorable,  trot  a  mile  in  harness  several  seconds  faster 
than  2m.  17^s.  In  estimating  his  present  powers,  it  is  material  to 
consider  the  fact  that  the  Buffalo  Course  was  slow  when  Dexter 
made  his  fast  time  there.  During  that  week  many  fast  horses 
trotted  over  it,  and  only  one  of  them  made  a  heat  as  fast  as  2m. 
30s.  It  has  since  been  drained,  and  otherwise  improved,  and  is 


412  APPENDIX. 

now  fast.  My  own  opinion  is,  that  Dexter  can  now  go  in  less  than 
2m.  20s.  any  day  and  every  day  that  he  may  be  called  upon  to  do 
so  when  he  is  fit  to  trot  and  the  course  is  good.  If  that  is  cor- 
rect, his  regular  rate  is  such  that  he  must  be  capable  of  an  effort 
so  enormous,  that  he  may,  and  probably  will,  far  surpass  his  feat  a» 

Buffalo,  and  again  make  "  limping  Time  toil  after  him  in  vain." 

2& 
CHARLES  J.  FOSTER 


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DEC  11  1943 


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LD  21-100m-7,'39 


YB   1634! 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


